"I did not scam you," Lora insisted with a sassy grin as she took the empty seat next to Joel, and Kevin settled into the chair next to her. "It's not my fault you underestimated my skills just because I'm a woman."

"That is so not true," Kevin denied emphatically, but Joel knew that's exactly what had happened. Kevin had made it way too easy for Lora to dupe him.

"If you didn't think that Lora could play, then why were you teaching her all the different shots?" Ben asked, taking great delight in giving Kevin a hard time.

Joel was just damn grateful that Ben was no longer focused on harassing him.

Kevin slanted Lora a chastising glance. "She didn't bother to tell me that she knew how to play pool."

"That's because you made your own assumptions without giving me a chance to tell you otherwise," she informed him with a very sweet smile. "Besides, I was having too much fun watching your mouth drop open in shock when I cleared the table on that last game."

"Yeah, and now I'm twenty bucks poorer," he grumbled good-naturedly. "You're a pool shark."

"It was like taking candy from a baby," she teased as laughter danced in her green eyes.

Joel couldn't take his gaze off of Lora, especially not when she unconsciously shook her hair back and away from her face in a move that was as feminine as it was sensual. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her expression vibrant as she reveled in her recent victory over Kevin. The graceful curve of her neck and the upper swells of her breasts, and in between, were damp with perspiration from the warmth in the bar. All that glowing, dewy skin made Joel think about how she'd look after a night of hot, illicit sex. With him, of course.

He shifted in his seat as his body reacted to that little fantasy, and swallowed back a groan at the torturous, it's-never-gonna-happen thought.

"You know, I'm going to have to demand a rematch," Kevin said in an attempt to preserve his manhood.

Lora braced her elbow on the table, rested her chin in her hand, and batted her lashes at Kevin. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I really hate to see grown men cry."

Both Jon and Ben burst out laughing, and even Joel couldn't help but chuckle at Lora's quick wit and amusing banter. Their humor at Kevin's expense earned them all a dark look from their friend, but it was all in good fun.

"By the way, the next round of drinks is on me, boys," Lora said as she slapped the twenty-dollar bill on the table, then signaled for the nearby cocktail waitress to come by after she was done with her other customers. "Or rather, drinks are on Kevin, since this is his money."

Kevin dragged his hand through his hair. "Man, I'm not going to be able to live this down, am I?"

"Not anytime soon, I'm guessing," Lora said with a grin.

"Well, the least you can do is tell me how you learned to play so well."

She shrugged. "I've worked in a lot of bars over the years as a cocktail waitress. It was decent part-time work while I was going to college, and some of the places had pool tables. So on occasion I'd stay after work and play with the guys."

Joel continued to listen to Lora, as well as watch how easily she managed to capture not only Kevin's attention, but Jon's and Ben's, as well. She was so genuine, so easy to like, and definitely a guy's kind of girl. The type who was comfortable in any situation, and effortlessly fit in and meshed well with his friends. And she was the exact opposite of the high-maintenance women he normally hooked up with… then promptly dumped when they began to cling, make demands, and make him feel way too stifled.

Lora was far from the clingy, demanding type. And that made his job of watching over her a helluva lot easier.

"What can I get you all to drink?" the waitress asked as she came up to their table a few minutes later.

Ben, Jon, and Kevin ordered fresh beers, and Lora stuck with her drink of the night, an iced water with a lemon twist, keeping with her claim that she didn't drink liquor. Joel passed on a refill, since it was getting late and they'd be leaving soon.

"I need to go to the restroom," Lora said after the waitress was gone, then stood up and glanced at Joel with a too-tempting smile. "How about a dance when I get back?"

Hell, no, he thought firmly. He'd seen the way she danced at The Electric Blue, and he knew for certain he'd never be able to handle Lora brushing her body sinuously along his, tantalizing him with a shimmying sway of her hips, an intimate press of her soft, yielding breasts against his chest.

His pulse thudded through his veins as he looked into her inviting gaze. There was no way he'd survive such a close, erotic encounter without showing her, and the rest of the patrons in the bar, just how much this woman affected his libido. One dance, and he'd be walking around for the rest of the night with his cock raised at full mast.

Yet… how could he tell her no? "Uh, sure," he finally said.

She flashed him a smile that told him she definitely had seduction on her mind. "Great," she said, then headed off in the direction of the women's restroom, which Joel luckily had a perfect view of so he could watch her the entire way.

Chuckling, Ben gave Joel an amicable pat on the back. "Oh, yeah, you are so in over your head with this one."

This time, Joel didn't bother denying Ben's claim. It was no use, because he could feel himself falling under her spell, with no cure in sight.

Chapter Seven

"HAS there been any more word from Zach?" Jon asked, once Lora was out of earshot. It was the first time the four of them had been alone all evening and could talk business.

Joel shook his head, watching as Lora pushed the door open to the women's restroom and slipped inside. "He hasn't contacted me since his initial phone call. There haven't been any threats against Lora, either."

"Yet," Kevin added grimly.

"There won't be a yet," Joel stated adamantly. "She's covered twenty-four/seven, by either myself or one of you. That doesn't give someone a whole lot of opportunity to get to her."

Even as he said the words, Lora was leaving the rest-room and making her way back to table to get him for the dance he'd promised her-while a guy in his mid-thirties was walking directly toward Lora. The man could have been headed to the John, but the way he remained purposefully in Lora's path, instead of veering to the left to let her pass him, made the approach far more personal.

Joel stiffened as every primal instinct within him surged to life and he automatically went into military combat mode. His sudden, intense reaction caused his three friends to turn in their seats to see what had captured Joel's attention. As soon as the guy stopped in front of Lora, which forced her to come to an unexpected halt, Joel knew some kind of trouble was about to erupt. The big question was, was this one of the thugs who was out to terrorize Lora on Zach's creditors' behalf, or was he a harmless guy looking to hook up with a woman for the evening?

Either way, Lora wouldn't be involved.

"Fuck," Joel muttered beneath his breath, and abruptly stood up, ready to tackle the problem.

At the same exact moment, three other chairs scraped against the hardwood floor as Ben, Jon, and Kevin joined him in his stance, instantly prepared to provide additional reinforcement. Their unwavering fidelity reminded him of their time in the military and the way they'd always banded together whenever a threat was imminent.

Joel appreciated his friends' support, but he didn't want to make a scene if it could be helped, and the daunting sight of four big, strapping guys striding across the establishment would attract way too much attention.

"I'll take care of this," he said, one hundred percent certain that he could handle the smarmy guy on his own.

"We've got your back if you need it," Ben told him, even though it went without saying.

With a nod, Joel made his way through the crowded bar, his gaze never leaving Lora or the blond-haired guy who was invading way too much of her personal space. His temper spiked when he saw her shake her head at something the other man said, then try to step around the guy only to have him grab her arm to stop her.

Ten more seconds and he reached Lora's side, every one of his five senses sharp and alert, along with a strong protective impulse that went above and beyond the call of duty. This unfamiliar feeling was far more possessive, and it set off warning signals he pushed aside in order to deal with the issue at hand.

He pinned the other man with a dark, menacing look. "I suggest you let go of her and back off, unless you'd rather I remove your hand for you."

The man had the good sense to drop her arm, but was stupid enough to challenge Joel. "Who the hell are you? Her bodyguard?" he sneered, his breath reeking of whiskey, which explained his show of bravado.

"Actually, I'm your worst fucking nightmare," Joel said with deadly calm. "The lady is with me."

The man looked him up and down, his gaze brimming with alcohol-induced insolence. "Yeah? Why don't we let her decide who she's with? She might not like the Neanderthal type." He shifted his gaze to Lora and attempted a cocky grin designed to charm her. "Come on, sugar, let's get out of this joint and go somewhere quiet and private where we can get to know each other better."

Lora opened her mouth to speak, but Joel squeezed her arm to shut her up.

Confident that Lora was interested in him, the guy took a step toward her. Blood simmering with annoyance, Joel instantly stopped him with a flattened palm to his puny chest. He ruled this particular man out as a suspect, and saw he was rather a too-aggressive womanizer who thought way too much of his power of persuasion when it came to the opposite sex.

Still, Joel wasn't about to let any guy near Lora-a direct threat or otherwise. "Do not touch her again. If you do, I'm going to have to kick your ass."

The other man let out a bold, you-don't-scare-me laugh. "Yeah, you and what army?"

Joel could easily take the guy single-handedly. All it would take was two seconds and he would have the man's arm jammed up the middle of his back and his face pressed against the nearest wall, but Joel truly didn't want to engage in any kind of physical altercation if it could be helped.

So he opted for a more intimidating tactic. "Me, and that army right over there." He pointed to his three friends, who were still standing across the room as they watched the scene play out. Their arms were folded over their chests and the ominous expressions they wore would make any man think twice about doing something stupid.

This guy was no exception. Finally realizing just how outnumbered he was, he cast a disgruntled look toward Joel. "She's not worth the trouble." He turned around and went back to the bar to order a drink and nurse his bruised ego.

Once Joel was certain he'd diffused the situation, he glanced back at Lora. He wasn't sure what to expect from her, but it damn sure wasn't the amusement glimmering in her eyes or the way she was biting her bottom lip to contain her laughter. She didn't display an ounce of fear or trepidation over the man's overzealous confrontation, and Joel wanted to shake her for being so trusting. So naive. Just like she'd been earlier in the evening by not checking who'd been at her door.

She had no idea what she was up against. Or just how vulnerable and defenseless she was right now. That any guy who approached her could be someone who wanted her dead.

That thought, mingled with the realization of just how personal this job, and Lora, had become to him, increased the gut-twisting turmoil within him. His entire body was strung so tight he felt as though he was going to snap.

He made a split-second decision based on his surly mood. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Before she could suggest otherwise, or remind him that he owed her a dance, he grabbed her hand and led her back to their table to collect her purse and jacket, then escorted her out of the joint. As if sensing his need for space, she didn't say a word when he handed her a helmet to put on, nor did she ask where they were going as he revved up the motorcycle and told her to get on behind him.

Once he was on the interstate, he increased the speed of the bike, which also gave him the surge of adrenaline he was looking for. His motorcycle had always provided a therapeutic release for him when he was feeling irritable or restless, a way for him to relax and take the edge off of any aggression or tension that might be riding him hard.