"Yes, she does," he agreed.

She beamed at him as she pushed sunglasses onto her face. "I knew I liked you. Now, go buy yourself something nice or something for Dr. Bates. Women like gifts. It was money well spent for me. Haven't seen an ass as fine as yours in a very long time."

"Thank you." He waved as she pulled out of the parking lot, then turned in a circle, carrying the ridiculous hope that he would spot a library nearby. He didn't, of course, but he did spot a mass transit bus roll by with a Discovery Channel advertisement emblazoned on the side.

He was willing to bet he could purchase the items he wanted, rather than borrow them. After all, he knew where the stores were, which was more than he could say for the library. Whatever his next move, he needed to make it quickly. Everything seemed to be working against him today, but he wasn't giving up without a fight. He'd be damned if the night came and he had nothing to show for his efforts.

Returning to the clinic, he stopped by the desk. "Where's Lyssa?"

"With a patient."

He set his elbows on the counter. "Can you give me an inch? Please."

She stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "Exam One."

"Thank you."

Reaching the paneled door with a gilt-framed sign that said "Exam One" attached to it, Aidan knocked lightly and waited.

It swung open a moment later, and just like the first time he'd seen Lyssa sprawled upon golden sand beneath him, he felt as if he had been sucker punched in the stomach. Blond, curvy perfection with dark eyes that went from professional coolness to melted desire just from the sight of him. He caught the door frame for balance and breathed in harshly.

"Oh shit," she hissed, her fingers white where she gripped the knob. She stepped out into the hall to afford" them some privacy. "You should have warned me it was you before I opened the door."

"I knew it was you and it didn't help."

She stared up at him with liquid, seductive eyes. He didn't have to read her thoughts to know she was thinking the same things he was—hot sex, naked sweaty bodies straining together, the fierce, aching pleasure that was almost too much to handle. It had been this way from the beginning, the depth of desire between them that wiped out every other thought but the need to be as close as possible.

Unable to stop himself, Aidan reached out and cupped her breast beneath the open flap of her lab coat, his thumb stroking across her nipple and finding it already peaked hard.

Lyssa smacked his hand away. "Stop that. I need my brain cells."

His jaw clenched against the urges it wasn't time to indulge in. Focus. On. The. Books. "I need to borrow your car again. Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead." Her pause was nearly imperceptible, but he caught it. "I'll be done in an hour, though."

"I'll be back long before then." He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, physically crossing the distance he sensed growing between them. Two steps forward and one back. "I won't delay our talk for even a minute."

She sighed. "My brain is fried now."

When she turned away from him, he reached out and pinched her ass, making her jump and glare at him. He made a kissing gesture with his lips and then went back to her office.

When Stacey had gone out with him earlier, she'd taken him to a large mall complex that housed a couple of bookstores as well as clothing and other merchants. That's where he intended to go in search of information about Stonehenge's relationship to astronomy. He suspected a connection between the purpose of the stone alignment and the world his people had abandoned when the Night-mares had taken over. If he eventually linked fissure creation to the ancient monument in England, he wanted to make sure he understood as much as possible.

He hoped like hell he was on the right track. A dead end could cost Lyssa her life.

* * *

Chapter 11

"So you're keeping Chad on a leash while you figure out what's up with your hunk delivery?"

Lyssa glared. "No, Stace. I'm not keeping Chad on a leash. We've just agreed to stay in touch, as friends."

"And you still can't remember meeting Aidan, only shagging him." Stacey leaned back in one of the little settees that graced the waiting room and shook her head. "Maybe he slipped you a roofie or something."

"Stacey! Christ. Look at him! He doesn't need to drug women to get them in bed."

Setting her forearms on her knees, Lyssa closed her eyes. "'tbu know, I opened the door to Exam One and saw him standing there, and my toes curled? The only time my fucking toes curl is when I'm having an orgasm."

"You had an orgasm just looking at him?"

"Damn near." Even now, the memory of him leaning against the doorjamb in loose-legged jeans and white T-

shirt made her breasts ache. Aidan Cross looked, smelled, walked, talked sex. Period.

"Wish I had a hair trigger like that." Stacey snorted. '"Kay, here are my thoughts. Maybe this is one of those deals like when a juror marries a serial murderer after the trial. The whole dangerous-bad boy-I'm-gonna-tame-him thing."

Lyssa stared.

"I'm just saying," Stacey said, holding up both hands defensively.

"Aidan is not a serial murderer."

"He might be if he's Special Forces."

"That would be different!"

"Yeah." Stacey slumped back into the chair. "I guess so. Maybe you're just crazy, or maybe he is. I hope it all works out and you're happy, but man, I have my doubts. There's something weird going on here."

Lyssa sighed loudly. "I think so, too."

"Here, take this." Stacey dug into her purse next to her and pulled out a pen. Then she tugged off the top and revealed an atomizer top.

"What is that? Mace?"

"Pepper spray. This shit's nasty stuff. Justin messed with a tube once and damn near killed us both. Your eyes water, your nose runs, and your skin burns like hell."

Staring down at the innocuous-looking tube, Lyssa felt like crying. Could she be more scattered and confused? "You think I might have to use this?"

"Better safe than sorry. This guy is a stranger to you. Who knows what his deal is? No clothes, no money. It's just bizarre. If he starts talking about religious sacrifices or says he's an alien, you'll be grateful for that spray."

"Fuck."

Stacey leaned over and squeezed her wrist. "Call me often over the weekend, or else I'm sending the cops over. And bring him to dinner at my place tomorrow. I want to see you in person."

"You're freaking me out." Lyssa stood and began to pace. When she was with Aidan, she felt safe. Cherished. But when they were apart she was flooded with doubts.

"Put Aidan up in a hotel until everything is worked out and explained."

"Fine."

"Fine, you'll do it? Or fine, shut the hell up?"

"Fine, I'll find him a hotel."

When the rear door to the clinic slammed shut, they both turned their heads. Aidan appeared a moment later, his hair windblown and tousled in a super-sexy way, a bookstore bag in his hand. He'd bought sunglasses, which he pushed up as he approached, revealing blue eyes filled with pleasure and lust at the sight of her. He was walking his signature walk, the one that screamed, Hot sex. Beneath the thin cotton of his shirt, she could just make out the shape of his washboard abs and strong chest.

Her toes curled.

"Ready to go?" he asked in that deep voice with its luscious accent. That tone struck a chord deep inside her, once again creating a sense of familiarity that was soul deep.

Clutching the pepper pen tightly, she nodded. "Yes. I'm ready."

* * *

Lyssa wasn't sure how they ended up at her house. Her thoughts were on Chad and Stacey's valid concerns, and her driving had been on autopilot. Still, as she pulled to a stop in her garage, she didn't feel panic that she hadn't dropped Aidan off at a hotel. In fact, as the garage door lowered, she felt relief.

Holding the steering wheel with both hands, she stared straight ahead and blew out her breath.

"You want to tell me what's on your mind?" Aidan asked, his left hand sliding over to rest on her thigh. "You haven't said a word since we left the clinic."

Beneath his palm, her skin burned. The heat spread, warming her blood, making her shift in her seat. He stroked softly, slowly, and her body responded by melting for him. Her knuckles went white.

A rough sound rumbled in his chest.

"If you'd like a bed beneath your back when I fuck you again," he murmured darkly, "you better get out of the car."

She scrambled out and slammed the door. He rounded the trunk so swiftly, they reached the kitchen entry at the same time. His hand curved around hers where it gripped the knob, his chest pressed against her back, his thighs touching hers. The hard length of his erection was an unmistakable shape against the upper curve of her buttocks. He dipped his knees and stroked it against her.

Closing her eyes, Lyssa pressed her hot forehead against the cool door and moaned softly. Aidan's lips touched the side of her neck, and his tongue stroked leisurely over her rapidly beating pulse.

She heard a thud, but it wasn't until his left hand cupped her hip that she realized he'd dropped the bag of books.

"What are you doing?" she breathed, so in lust with him, her lungs were tight.

"You're tense. I'm relaxing you."

Aidan's accent was divine when he was plain speaking. When he was aroused, it was pure seduction.

She reached back and cupped his ass, mimicking his movements, stroking the length of his cock with her body. He growled and bit into the tender spot between her neck and shoulder. It pinned her in place, subduing her writhing, telling her without words that she was at his mercy.

"No fair." She pouted.

He licked his teeth marks in her skin. "Is that a complaint?" His large hand slid lower, between her legs. "Can't have that."