A moment later, the outside light went on and he could see Carly’s face in the window beside the front door. She looked shocked to see him. “Open up.”

She hesitated for a moment before turning the locks and pulling the door open a crack. “What do you want?” A silky blue robe was wrapped around her body. She was obviously ready for bed.

Not exactly the warmest welcome in the world, but he hadn’t really expected one. “I want to talk to Erin.”

She shifted and stared directly at the center of his shirt, not meeting his eyes. “Erin’s not available right now, but I’ll let her know you stopped by.”

The door started to close in his face and it was only instinct that made him shove his boot inside the doorframe to keep her from closing it. She glared at him, but said nothing.

“I want to see Erin. Now.” The hairs on the back of Nathan’s neck were standing on end, a sure sign that something wasn’t right. If that wasn’t enough to warn him that something was wrong, then the guilty look on Carly’s face convinced him he was right.

Using his left shoulder for leverage, he muscled his way through the front door, and forced her to back up. He automatically scanned the entryway before closing the door behind him. The silence was deafening as they stood there and stared each other down. Nathan was determined to know what was going on, and Carly was staring at him with her arms crossed under her chest, a mutinous look on her face.

It really wasn’t fair of her to cross her arms like that. The action pushed her sizeable breasts up even higher, distracting him from his goal. He could easily imagine himself uncovering her extraordinary tits and burying his face between them. Nathan groaned as his cock swelled and jeans grew far too tight for comfort.

“Are you okay?” Her soft words freed him from his enthrallment and he raked his hands through his hair, trying to regain control over himself and the situation.

“Where is Erin?” All signs of her concern for him vanished in the blink of an eye, and she once again appeared perturbed with him. His own temper began to flare. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll just look for her myself.” Without waiting for a reply, he brushed past her and began a methodical search of the small bungalow.

“You can’t do this.” She was close on his heels, tugging on the back of his shirt.

“Watch me.” He pulled away from her grasp and went through her home one room at a time until he reached her bedroom. The door was closed, but as he started to reach for it, Carly threw herself in front of it. Nathan barely managed to keep the grin off his face as he knew that would only infuriate her further. But it was ridiculous, almost to the point of being funny that this small woman thought she could keep him out of the room.

“You can’t go in there. I forbid it.” She stamped her small slippered foot against the hardwood floor as she spread her arms wide to block the door. Her robe slipped open slightly at the neckline and he caught a glimpse of her milky white skin and her bountiful breasts. When she widened her stance, the robe slipped away, exposing one of her firm, pale thighs.

It was far too easy to imagine wrapping his hand around the belt of her robe, and tugging until it came open. Instead of indulging his fantasy, he bent over, gripped Carly by the waist, picked her up, and deposited her out of the way before opening the door. He strode into the room and came to a dead stop. Never in his life would he have imagined that her bedroom would look like this, and he had indeed imagined it many times in his life. In his dreams, it was soft, white, and feminine. This room was a study in rich vibrant colors and sensuality.

The four-poster bed was covered by a lush burgundy spread, which was turned back to expose matching sheets, and loaded down with pillows in a rainbow of jewel tones. The walls were a rich cream color, and a plush burgundy rug lay atop the hardwood floor. The furniture was all a dark cherry tone and the drapes were the same material as the bedspread.

Carly rushed over to him, grabbed his arm and tried to haul him out of the room. “Get out of my bedroom before I call the cops.”

“I am the cops,” he said. Nathan didn’t budge and finally she stopped pulling on him and threw up her hands in defeat. He was two inches over six feet and he wasn’t moving until he had answers. “Where is my sister?”

Carly gave up all pretenses. “I don’t know.”

Her simple answer knocked the wind right out of him. “What the hell do you mean, you don’t know?” he yelled. “She was supposed to be spending the night with you.” Concern for his sister made him crazy and before he even realized what he was doing, he’d backed Carly up against one of the bedposts. Wrapping his hands around her shoulders, he shook her slightly.

“Stop it.” She clawed at his hands. “Stop it.”

The fear in her voice brought him back to his senses and shook him to his very core. Never in his entire life had he ever frightened a woman, and the fact it was the woman he’d wanted for years shamed him. He wrapped his arms around her and stilled her frantic struggles while crooning in her ear. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s all right. Everything’s fine.” It took a minute, but finally she settled down in his arms.

She felt so good in his embrace, with her breasts pressed against his chest. His cock was nestled against her silky stomach, but there was nothing he could do about that. The fact was around this one woman, he had no control. It bothered him, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He’d tried for years, but had long ago given up the struggle. He thought he’d died and gone to heaven when instead of pulling away from him, she snuggled tighter against him.

Unable to resist, he placed a small kiss on the top of her head while he took a deep breath, inhaling her unique scent. She always smelled of a combination of vanilla and something uniquely Carly. He gave her one more hug before forcing himself to step away.

She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, but he forced himself to ignore their plea. If anything else but his sister’s safety were at stake, he’d probably be putty in the woman’s hands.

“Please?” He said nothing else. If nothing else, all his years in law enforcement had taught him the value of patience.

She hesitated for a moment and took a step back before speaking. “I really don’t know where she is. She asked me to cover for her because she was going on a date with a guy she’s really stuck on. I don’t know who it is, but I gather he’s someone new. She promised to give me details tomorrow.” Carly spewed it all out in one continuous stream, not pausing for breath. When she was finished, she heaved a sigh of relief. Her hands clenched the top of her robe tight, wrinkling the fragile material.

Nathan rubbed his hands over his face telling himself not to panic. So his sister was out all night with some guy he didn’t know. He could handle this. Carly’s soft hand patted his arm in comfort. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more.”

Nathan nodded. He was totally convinced that she was telling him the truth. The sincerity of her words was all too real. “Did she give you any clues?”

Her brow wrinkled as she pondered, but finally she just shrugged and sighed. “I really can’t think of anything.” She hesitated for a second and thought some more. “But I got a feeling that although it’s someone new, she knows and trusts him. Does that make any sense?”

Unfortunately for Nathan, it was beginning to make too much sense. A picture was beginning to form in his mind and he wasn’t quite sure what he thought of it. Abel Garrett and his sister. It hurt his head to even think about it. It was one thing to intellectually know that your sister was a grown woman, but it was quite another to picture her in bed having sex with some guy, especially a guy you knew. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Erin, but he was certainly going to pay a visit to Abel first thing tomorrow morning. Well, maybe not quite first thing. He’d damned well make sure his sister had left first.

Shifting closer to him, she rubbed his back with her hand, soothing him. “Trust her, Nathan. Your sister is a good judge of character and is capable of taking care of herself. You and Jackson saw to that.”

He hung his head and tried to rub the tension out of the back of his neck. “I know you’re right, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

“I know.”

Nathan didn’t want to leave. He was basking in Carly’s presence and the feel of her soft body pressed against his. But he’d done what he came here to do and it was time to leave. Turning abruptly, he headed for the front door. If he didn’t leave now, he’d probably lock her in the bedroom and make love to her all night long.

“Thanks for everything.” He tossed the comment over his shoulder as he neared the front door.

“Wait,” she cried.

Nathan stared at the door. He was so close, but there was no way he could ignore her soft plea. He made himself turn around and face her. “What?” His answer was abrupt, but he was holding onto his control by a thread.

“Stay.” Tugging on the belt, Carly opened her robe wide. Pushing it off of her shoulders, it pooled at her feet. She was totally naked.

Nathan couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her skin was the color of cream and he longed to lap at every inch of it. Her spectacular breasts were even more magnificent uncovered. Her pink nipples were puckered tight, and a neat covering of brown curls covered her pussy. She belonged to him. She always had. But neither of them had been willing to admit it until now.

“Stay,” she repeated.

Like a man finally coming home after being away far too long, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the bedroom. “There’s no going back.” It was both a threat and a promise. She’d wanted him and she was getting all of him.

“I don’t want to.” Relaxing totally in his arms, she allowed him to carry her to bed.

Carly couldn’t believe that it was finally happening after all these years. Nathan was in her bedroom, and he wanted her. She’d fantasized about this moment since she was fifteen and had seen Nathan working out at the farm without a shirt on. As she’d grown older, and gotten to know him as a man, the attraction had deepened. She’d never met a finer man in her life and knew that he was the one for her.

Until this moment, she’d been too afraid to take a chance, but a voice inside her head had urged her to grab the moment. Go for it, the voice commanded. The scariest thing she’d ever done in her life was to drop that robe to the floor. For a second, she’d really thought he was going to leave, but then he’d looked at her. Pure passion burned in the depths of his eyes, like blue fire. She knew she’d made the right decision when he’d snatched her up in his arms. She’d always dreamed of being carried off the bed and being totally ravished by him.

The door closed behind him with a solid thump, shutting the world outside. Nathan carried her to the bed and carefully placed her in the center. Stepping back, he searched her face as if looking for something. She reached out to him, but he stepped back from her.

“There are some things you need to understand before we go any further.” He stood at the end of her bed, a large and unapproachable male.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable about lying there totally naked while he was still fully dressed, she started to pull a sheet over herself. “No.” She stilled at his command and looked uncertainly at him. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to comply. Slowly, she dropped the cover from her hands. Now she was more than a little nervous.

“I want you lying there naked, waiting just for me.” Nathan prowled around the room as he spoke. “If we’re going to have any kind of a relationship, then you have to accept that I’m in charge in the bedroom.”

Carly was slightly appalled by his blunt statement even as she found herself being aroused by it. Images of her being at Nathan’s every sexual whim filled her head and her breathing quickened. As if sensing her chaotic emotions, Nathan continued to explain.

“I respect you as a woman and an equal in life, Carly, but in here—” he swung his arm around to encompass the entire room, “— I’m in charge. You have to trust that I’ll never do anything I know would hurt you or demean you. This is about pleasure, both mine and yours.” His slow smile was filled with sexual promise. “I’ll be good to you,” he teased.

She was definitely intrigued by his proposition. She’d never pictured herself deferring to a man sexually. It sent a shiver down her spine, imagining what he would ask of her, what he would do to her. Even just lying here naked in front of him because he’d told her to was a huge turn-on. Her nipples were tight and she could feel the dampness between her legs.