He pushed her into a chair and sat across from her.

“Here’s your fou-fou drink.” He placed it in front of her. “And my manly regular coffee.” He sipped it and made a satisfied “ahhh” sound that made her want to twist his nipples off.

“What do you want?” she asked yet again.

“Let’s start off easy. What do you do?”

“What do I do about what?”

“I see ‘easy’ is still lost on you. I mean, what do you do, Jessie Ann? What pays for your precious overhead?”

“Systems security.”

“Which means what exactly?”

She went to stand up and she saw him tense. Would he actually chase her down? Would she mind?

“Stay,” she commanded before walking over to the counter that held all the necessary condiments for coffee drinkers. She grabbed a handful of brown-sugar and saccharine packets, wood stirrers, a metal container holding cream, and napkins, but the napkins were really for her since she had a tendency to wear her liquids as much as drink them.

Sitting back down, she placed the creamer on the table. “This is your company. See how it’s unprotected? All alone in the big bad world. And look, it’s saccharine coming to attack.” Jess placed several of the blue packets down, aimed toward the creamer. Then she broke the sticks in half and gave them swords. “See? They’re armed and dangerous.” She placed the brown-sugar packets between the creamer and the saccharine. “But look! It’s the sugars coming to protect us!” Now, thoroughly enjoying herself, she gave the sugar packets swords too. “Saccharine charges”—she moved the packets forward—“but the sugars battle them back with skill and the darkness within us all. They’re not afraid to kill and destroy in the name of justice—and cold, hard cash.”

Jess grinned, extremely pleased with her presentation. But when she looked up at Smitty, he sat there with his elbow on the table, his chin resting in the palm of his hand, and he was staring at her.

“What?” she demanded. “That’s not clear?”

Dang but she was cute. Cute as hell. Even when making absolutely no sense with her sugar packets and little sticks. “No, it’s not clear.”

Rolling her eyes, she sat back in her chair like a disgruntled child. “We create security systems for companies to protect them from your run-of-the-mill hackers to hardcore identity thieves,” she quickly rattled off. “We do hard coding, create software, and can even train a company’s IT people to help a company protect themselves. We have a lot of overseas clients, and the government has used us on occasion to train their people or to give advice. But we make them nervous, so they won’t give us any clearance. I blame Danny. But that’s another story. There?Happy now?”

“Why didn’t you say all that in the first place?”

“I gave you swords and a battle. A hero and an enemy. A defenseless damsel in distress. I gave you the makings of a terrific tale to tell your children.”

“All right then.”

“Forget it.” She glanced at her watch. “Look, I’ve really got to—”

“Lord, Jessie.” He reached across the table and grabbed her hand, pulling her arm out until he could look at her watch. “That’s a lot of watch for a little gal. What do you need it for?”

“To tell time.”

“I’ve seen admirals with the same watch. You planning on attacking those deadly saccharine packets by sea?”

Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and Smitty wondered how long before she decked him.

“Is there anything else you want?” That’s a nicely loaded question. “Or can I go now?”

“Sure, you can go.”

“Thank you,” she said in an exasperated sigh. Then she pushed her chair back and stood.

As Jessie walked past him, he added, “I understand you’re afraid.”

Not surprisingly, she froze in her tracks. Even when he had to coax her from trees, Jessie would get insulted if he even suggested she might be afraid. To her, hiding in trees and under bleachers was merely a preventive measure that any sensible person would do. “Excuse me?”

“You’re afraid. I completely understand.” He patted her hand like he would his grandmother. “It’s all right. You go on now.”

She took two steps back until she stood right next to him. “Afraid of what?”

“Of your feelings for me. That’s why you’re fighting me so hard.”

“I do not have feelings for you—other than hatred.”

“Now, Jessie Ann, we’ve always been honest with each other. Just admit you still want me—after all these years.”

She threw up her hands. “I’m walking away from this conversation.”

He figured. But he simply couldn’t help himself. It was such fun torturing her.

Smitty jumped up and followed after her. As he reached the door she’d already gone through, she was suddenly back, her small body slamming into his.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh... ” She looked back and then shoved him onto a small couch. Sitting down next to him, she grabbed his arm and yanked it over her shoulders. “Now just sit there and look pretty.”

A few moments later, three men walked through the door. Two were full-human, but the one whose eyes locked on Jessie...

Immediately, Smitty recognized the wild dog from Saturday night.