“Me and Roxie just had chops and rice. We been spendin’ a few days gettin’ to know each other. She’s a good kid, Trish. You done good with her. How’s Herb?” Mom talked again and I heard a knock at the door. I pul ed away, reached up on tiptoe and gave Uncle Tex’s fuzzy cheek a kiss and walked to the door.

I stil had a smile on my face when I opened the door.

The smile faded and my mouth dropped open at what I saw.

Hank was standing there, stil wearing his jeans, boots and wine-colored henley but now he was also wearing his black leather jacket.

“What are you doing here?” I asked but he didn’t answer.

He walked in and I jumped out of his way, because if I didn’t he would have walked right into me.

Hank looked around the room, searching for something.

Uncle Tex stood holding the phone receiver to his ear, eyes on Hank.

Then Hank grabbed my purse off the coffee table, came back to me, took my hand and dragged me out the door, slamming it behind us.

Through the slam, I could hear Uncle Tex’s booming laughter.

Holy cow.

What on earth was going on?

“Hank!” I yel ed, trying to pul my hand from his but he was dragging me along the sidewalk toward his 4Runner.

“Hank! Stop! What’s going on?”

He took me to the driver’s side, opened it, bent, picked me up and I let out a cry.

It was like I didn’t make a noise. Hank put me on the seat and then entered behind me so I had to scoot over to the passenger side, double time. Before I could do a thing, even buckle my safety belt, Hank threw my purse in my lap, started the car and took off.

“Take me back to Tex’s,” I demanded and he ignored me so I carried on. “What are you doing, take me back to Tex’s!”

He stil didn’t say anything.

“We’l just see about this,” I snapped, opened my purse and dragged out my phone. Who I was going to cal , I did not know, but I was going to cal someone.

I barely got the cel out when Hank plucked it out of my hand and tossed it on the dash, his side of the dash, far away from me.

I stared at it. Then I stared at him.

“Wel !” I said because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. My heart was hammering in my chest and my mind was in a tizzy.

Then I figured out what to say.

“This is crazy. You’re crazy. Denver’s crazy. Al you boys skipped right over the last century, didn’t you? I think even the last mil ion years! You’re cavemen,” I rattled on. “I do not believe you just dragged me out of Uncle Tex’s house. He was talking to my Mom!”

“Quiet,” Hank final y spoke.

“Fuck quiet. God! Why didn’t I get in my car and get the hel out of here when I had the chance?”

“That’s a good question,” was Hank’s answer.

That shut me up because I seriously didn’t want to go there.

I buckled my seat belt and crossed my arms on my chest and tried to devise a plan.

I was stil in my skintight skirt and heels. I couldn’t run. I stil had three cracked ribs. I couldn’t fight. I didn’t want to fight Hank anyway. Hel , I didn’t want to run either.

What was I saying? I thought.

Then I forced myself to stop thinking altogether.

Before I knew it, he parked in front of his house. I sat in his 4Runner, arms stil crossed, not moving, as he walked around the hood of the car.

He opened the passenger side door, leaned in and unbuckled me, then pul ed me out.

He dragged me up his front walk.

“I want to go back to Uncle Tex’s,” I said.

“You’re not goin’ back to Tex,” he replied in his authoritative voice and opened the door.

Before I could say anything else, Shamus was there and leaping al over Hank and me as Hank pul ed me inside.

“Hi fel a, hey there boy,” I cooed, bending to give him a quick scratch behind the ears. I was pissed off at Hank for abducting me but I saw no reason to take it out on Shamus.

It was a very quick scratch because Hank closed the door behind us, locked it, grabbed my hand again and then carried on dragging me, straight to the bedroom.

That was when I started fighting, pul ing at my hand in his

“Hey! Where are you going? Let go of me!”

He didn’t stop.

“Hank, Goddammit!”

He final y stopped once we’d reached the bedroom. He also let me go. He switched on the light by the bed and I turned to run but he caught me by the waist, somehow doing this gently, and pul ed me around so I was pinned between him and the bed.

Then he shrugged off his jacket and tugged off his henley.

My eyes bugged out and I stared at his bared chest.

Good God.

“What are you –” I started to say but he interrupted me.

“In deference to your ribs, you can be on top this time.” My mouth dropped open.

Then my eyes went back in my head and they narrowed on him.

“I don’t think so,” I snapped.

He caught me at the hips, pul ed me to him and kissed me.

I did resist, I’m not that weak. It’s just that my resistance didn’t last long.

When his mouth left mine to trail down my cheek to my neck I said, “You’re a jerk.”

He moved away a bit, pul ed my t-shirt free of my skirt, yanking it over my head, and dropping it on the floor.

Then he looked into my eyes.

My hammering heart thundered in a swel and then stuttered to a halt when I saw the look in his eyes. They were not distant or disinterested, they were something else, something I’d never seen on him, or anyone, before.

“Yeah,” he agreed and his voice echoed the look in his eye. “I am.”

Then he kissed me again.

Needless to say, it went wild after that (what could I say, this was Hank).

We were al over each other, hands, mouths, tongues.

He pul ed my skirt up, bunching it at my waist, turned us both around and sat down on the bed, his arms around me, taking me with him. He fel back, rol ed me over careful y, then came away and yanked down my panties and tossed them aside. Then he bent low, spread my legs and his mouth went there.

“Good God,” I breathed and I slid my hands into his hair.

He took me to the edge. I was panting, pressing my hands in his hair and nearly there when he pul ed away.

Instantly, I came up, my hands went to his shoulders, pushing him back. I undid his buckle, unbuttoned his jeans, slid them only as low on his h*ps as was needed and climbed on top of him. I had my hand wrapped around him to guide him inside but his hands went to my hips, he bucked, ramming into me and my hand flew away from between us.