After Jed had left, Dana had checked the place to make sure no one else was there, then had driven to Garth’s office.

He sat next to her on the sofa by the window and slowly rubbed her back. “Do you want me to get you something to calm you down? Tea? Something stronger?”

She glared at him. “I’m not hysterical. I don’t need to be sedated.”

“I’m just offering.”

“Don’t. We need to figure out a plan. We need to stop him.”

“We have a plan.”

“It’s not working,” she snapped, then shook her head. “Sorry. I’m a little on edge.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

She managed a slight smile, then took a deep breath. “Okay. What are we going to do?”

“I’ll let Mitch, Cruz and Nick know what happened and what Jed said.” He hesitated. “If I tell you something, you have to keep it to yourself.”

“What are we, in high school?”

“I’m serious.”

He looked serious. Determined and a little intimidating. Not that she would tell him that.

“Fine. I won’t say anything.”

“The guys have hired bodyguards.”

He didn’t say any more than that, but Dana could fill in the rest. She sprang to her feet, put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“Are you serious?” she yelled. “My friends are being watched and they don’t know it?”

He stood. “Protected. There’s a difference and you know it. It’s a precaution. Based on what Jed said, do you think it’s such a bad idea?”

She opened her mouth then closed it. “No,” she grumbled, sinking back onto the sofa.

She bounced back to her feet, then poked him in the chest with her index finger. “You better not have anyone following me or I swear I’ll disembowel you.”

“There’s a visual.”

“I mean it, Garth.”

He sighed heavily. “I don’t have anyone on you. With your professional training I knew you’d be better prepared. I’d like to have you protected…”

“And I’d like to win a megalottery. We all have unfulfilled dreams. You’ll have to get over this one.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say. But with Jed making overt threats, I want you to be really careful.”

The man had sent people to run her off the road and then had shown up in her house. She was going to be the poster child for careful.

If only the license plate numbers had helped, but as she’d suspected, they’d been stolen.

“I’m not the only one who has to watch herself,” she said. “Jed could just as easily come after you. That’s the most direct road to success.”

“Are you worried about me?”

Garth put his hands on her waist and drew her against him. She didn’t really want to go, but the second he touched her, she didn’t seem to have much will to resist. There was something about the heat of his body or the strength of it. It made her want to melt. And she was not the melting kind.

She managed to push his hands off her waist and take a step back. “Worried is too strong a word. I know Izzy would be upset if something happened to you. She’s determined to see you as one of the family.”

He pulled her close again and kissed her jaw. “What do you see me as?”

“Trouble,” she said, trying not to sound breathless. Which was really hard because tingles followed everywhere his mouth touched. Even as he kissed his way down her neck, she felt heat flaring in her breasts and between her legs.

He paused at the edge of her sweatshirt. For a second she thought about just ripping it off, but stopped herself. They were in Garth’s office. While it might be Saturday, she’d seen several people around. Anyone could walk in. She wasn’t the type who enjoyed being a show.

She managed to push away again, only this time she really, really didn’t want to stop.

He cupped her face in his hands. “I’ll be careful,” he promised.

“Good.”

“If you’ll go to Skye’s fund-raiser with me.”

The tingles died.

“What?”

“Skye is having a fund-raiser next weekend. It’s an annual event. I promised I’d go and I want you there with me.”

“Why?” The question popped out before she could stop it.

“Because you’re my girlfriend.”

His what?

She stared at him. Girlfriend? As in relationship?

Her mind went completely blank. She wasn’t the relationship type. She was difficult and awkward and the most she knew about getting fancy with makeup was to put on a second coat of mascara.

“I don’t go to Skye’s fund-raisers. It’s not my thing.”

He dropped his hands to her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “It’s not my thing, either, but I promised.”

“So you go.”

“I will. With you.”

She wanted to complain that she had nothing to wear, but he was a guy and he wouldn’t get that. She wanted to tell him that events like that made her feel uncomfortable and out of place. Worse, she remembered what Jed had claimed. That she would never fit in. Never be an equal. Did her reaction to the invitation prove he was right?

Garth squeezed her shoulders, then released her. “It wasn’t supposed to be that hard a question. If you don’t want to go, it’s fine.”

Pride battled with fear. Was she really going to let Jed get in her head and mess with her? “No. I’ll go.”

“You could sound a little more enthused.”

She forced a smile. “I’ll go. Thanks for asking.”

He kissed her. “You’ll have fun. It’s at Glory’s Gate.”

“Since when? Skye doesn’t live there anymore.”

Garth grinned. “He’s renting out the house. Skye’s paying a premium, but it’s a good property for this kind of event.”

Glory’s Gate. At least Dana knew her way around the place. It would be a lot easier than a fancy hotel.

He leaned close, his mouth barely touching her ear. “Just so we’re clear-this is a date. I’ll be driving.”

He expected her to laugh. The punch line was him driving. The “D” word was incidental. To him. To her it was the first step into a terrifying and unfamiliar world from which she might never find her way back.

“F-fine,” she whispered, knowing it was anything but.

“WHAT WAS I THINKING?” Dana demanded of Lexi three days later when they met up at an exclusive boutique Dana had never stepped in before. It was easier to focus on her panic about the coming fund-raiser than worry about what Jed might be planning for his daughters. Or try not to see the mysterious male shopper who was obviously-at least to Dana-Lexi’s bodyguard. While she didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets from her friends, she knew that protecting them came first. None of the Titan sisters would accept the idea of bodyguards. Better pissed at her than dead, she thought grimly, then pushed her conversation with Jed away. If she kept thinking about it, she was at risk of blurting out something she would immediately regret.

“You were thinking it would be fun to see Garth’s world,” Lexi said soothingly. “Or your brain was momentarily toasted from something he was doing to the rest of you.”

“We were only kissing,” Dana said absently, staring at all the clothes around her, wishing there was a rack marked Clothes Dana Wouldn’t Rather Die Than Wear with a big sale sign on it.

“Interesting. If just his kissing can do that, I wonder what he can do when he puts his mind to it.”

“You have no idea,” Dana said.

Lexi patted her arm. “You’ll be fine. Okay, the outfit. Skye’s saying formal but not white tie, so that helps.”

Dana was sure it would if she actually knew the difference between white tie and black tie.

“I’m open to suggestions,” she said between gritted teeth.

The boutique was well-lit and screamed expensive. There weren’t even tons of clothes on display. Just one of everything. Then a salesperson went off and got your size. Shopping in a place like this was the seventh level of hell for her. The only thing that kept her in place was the fear of embarrassing Garth. It should be embarrassing herself, but she didn’t care what people thought of her. But Garth would have business associates at the event. Friends, maybe. He would take her, regardless of what she was wearing. He would never ask her to change clothes, but that didn’t mean he would be thrilled if she showed up in jeans and a T-shirt.

“Obviously the point isn’t just to raise money for Skye’s foundation,” Lexi said. “It’s also a see-and-be-seen kind of party, as well. Dallas society and all that. Senators, congresspeople.”

Dana pressed her hand to her suddenly writhing stomach. “You’re not making me feel better.”

“I’ll do that later,” Lexi said kindly. “I want you to understand what we’re talking about. This is Garth’s world.”

“And I don’t belong there.”

Lexi grabbed her arm. “No. That’s not even close to what I’m saying. You totally belong there. But if you want to fit in, to be comfortable, you’re going to have to learn the rules.”

She held up her hand before Dana could interrupt. “There’s a big difference between fitting in and selling out. I’m not asking you to be someone else. I’m asking you to dress in such a way that you don’t insult your hostess, who I would like to remind you, is a close friend.”

Dana pressed her lips together. “Fine,” she mumbled. “What should I wear?”

“You’ll probably be more comfortable in pants and a jacket,” Lexi said, moving deeper into the store.

Dana followed her, careful not to brush against anything. She wasn’t sure where exclusive boutiques stood on the “you break it, you bought it” policy, but she and her credit card didn’t want to get into trouble.

“What about this?”

Lexi held up a tailored jacket. Or maybe it was a blazer. Dana wasn’t sure. While she stared at it, her friend was talking. She could see Lexi’s lips moving, but there wasn’t any sound except for a massive buzzing in her ears.

Had someone blindfolded her and told her that her life depended on her describing the jacket, she wouldn’t have been able to do it. Not when all she could see was the small, hanging price tag.

Fifteen hundred dollars. You could buy a used car for that.

“What?” Lexi asked. “Are you feeling all right?”

Dana shook her head and pointed. Lexi glanced at the tag, then shrugged.

“It’s Donna Karan. Her clothes are beautiful and I think they’d really suit your body.”

“Fifteen hundred dollars? It’s a jacket.”

“It’s a designer label.” Lexi sighed. “Dana, this is what quality clothes cost.”

“Are they sewn by albino virgins born on February 29th?”

“Maybe you’d be happier with something else.”

Something that wouldn’t make her credit card scream for mercy.

Lexi circled several racks, then glanced back at Dana. “Would you consider a dress?”

Dana would rather consider quality time in a snake exhibit at the zoo. A dress, as in not pants? “I guess.”

Instead of circling the racks, Lexi circled Dana. “When was the last time your legs saw sunlight?”

“1943.”

“Very funny. Pale is in. Blinding white doesn’t look attractive on anyone. I’ll get you in at the spa. We’ll give you a nice fake tan that glows.”

Dana frowned. “What does it matter what color my legs are? I’ll be wearing panty hose.”

Lexi stared at her. “No. We don’t do that anymore. Colored tights are always a possibility with a wool skirt and boots, but…” She seemed to brace herself. “When was the last time you wore a dress?”

“Prom.”

“High school prom?”

“It’s the only one I went to.”

Lexi linked arms with her and rested her forehead on Dana’s shoulder. “I have to apologize. I’ve totally failed you as a friend.”

“Why? I’m fine.”

“You’re many things but fine isn’t one of them. We’ll go classic,” she said. “A little black dress.” She straightened and smiled. “The good news for you is you can get one for a lot less than fifteen hundred dollars.”

“Lucky me.”

Fifteen minutes later, Dana had to admit Lexi might be on to something with the dress thing. She’d tried on three already and each of them looked pretty good.

The first had been made out of a shiny fabric that was a little stiff. The front came up to her collarbone but the back had a cut-out that dipped down to the belt. Lexi had explained something about a specially designed fancy bra that would hold the girls in place, but Dana wasn’t so sure about walking around with her back exposed.

The second was silk. She knew because Lexi had gushed about it. It had a wrap-style top and a full skirt.

“Too retro,” Lexi said.

“Too girly,” Dana added.

The third, which according to legend should have been just right, wasn’t. It was cut low enough for most of her breasts to show.

“I’m not flashing the world,” Dana said, staring at herself in the mirror and trying not to wince. Then she reached for the zipper and stepped out of the dress. “There will be old people there. I don’t want to put anyone off the appetizers.”