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knows. I’ve had him to dinner once. Though, like you, he found it lacking and he prefers to take me out.”

      Found it lacking. That was for damn sure. So why hadn’t he set her up somewhere more suitable? He knew for a fact Brandt just bought some office building downtown. There was money, so why was Payton living like a pauper? Maybe dropping in on Brandt at work would shed some light on it. He could put the priority of Payton’s security into perspective for the guy.

      No, forget it. Bad idea. He’d handle the situation himself. He didn’t have time to be worrying about her safety.

      “You can’t live here. We’ll find another apartment this afternoon.”

      Payton’s back stiffened, and those earthy warm eyes that had been looking up at him as if he were the only man in the world mere hours ago took on a glare that said he was just another jerk. “What?”

      The decision made, he pulled his phone from his pocket to call up a realtor he knew. “Don’t worry about the rent.”

      But then Payton was in his face, her finger jabbing into his chest. “Have you lost your mind?” she snapped. “Of all the controlling, overbearing—I’m not moving out. I chose this place so I could have my independence. I love it here.”

      He stared at her, comprehension dawning, but not quickly enough to stop the next barb. “When did you become such a damn snob, Nate?”

      So she was paying her own way. He knew all too well about independence. The need for it having driven him to finish school early while working a job at the same time. Anything to get far enough ahead he wouldn’t have to go back. But if she wasn’t safe, it wasn’t acceptable. “The intercom—”

      “Is being replaced on Monday. And, not that it’s any of your business, but I jog at the lakefront every morning and always carry pepper spray and an emergency air horn. The crime rate in the neighborhood is particularly low, my landlord’s security precautions are high, and I don’t appreciate your steamrolling one bit.” Her arms were crossed, her breath coming fast with her frustration. But her eyes—beneath that sparking hostility he caught the glimpse of hurt and disappointment.

      What was he doing?

      This place was important to her and he’d stormed in and treated it like garbage. What was the matter with him? He’d taken one look, decided it didn’t fit his idea of what Payton’s life should be like and flown off the handle in what he could only explain as an overprotective, testosterone-driven mania.

      “I’m being an ass. There’s nothing wrong with your apartment.” In fact, as he adjusted his perspective, he couldn’t see anything wrong with it at all. It wasn’t brand-new or extravagant, but it was clean. Neat. Cozy. The view was attractive, the light good. The design was old Chicago, with attractive molding and high ceilings throughout. Crystal-knob fixtures and etched-glass transoms. A brick hearth. Hardwood floors. The apartment was attractive. The furniture tasteful and conservative. Homey.

      He simply hadn’t expected to find Payton Liss living here. And for some reason, it irritated him that she did.

      Arms still crossed, she shifted her weight from one hip to the other. Blew out a breath that sent a stray curl momentarily adrift, and then moved over to the couch and plopped down into the cushions. “You weren’t much worse than Brandt. So, I suppose I’ll have to forgive you.”

      Wow, not much worse than Brandt. He needed to spend more time with his dad if he’d become that much of a snob.

      Nate glanced over to where she’d leaned into the cushioned armrest. An open paperback lay atop the coffee table beside her and a cup of tea that looked as though it had gone cool some time ago. He dropped into the opposite corner. It was comfortable. Good to be sitting with her. Only…He reached across and pulled Payton into him, tucking her under his shoulder, adjusting her just so as she laughed, not bothering to protest at all.

      “Oh, yeah, that’s it.” Nice.

      How many times had they sat like this as kids, watching TV, talking, joking around? How many times had he thought about it while wondering why another woman didn’t fit quite as well? Payton was small boned and delicate, with all those sweet soft spots that made her fit just right.

      After a minute of enjoying the familiarity, he rubbed a hand over her shoulder and leaned back to look at her. “I’m not trying to be insulting, but I’ve got to ask. What about your father’s estate? I mean, the Lisses are wealthy.”

      She plucked a bit at the hem of her shirt before answering. “Honestly, my family is very generous and my mother would probably love to finance my every expenditure, but that kind of dependence comes with too many strings. I earn my own salary and…now that my father is gone, I prefer to pay my own way.”

      Ah-h-h. There it was. The mention of her father with the accompanying wince to go along. The visible twinge of guilt as though the admission that she was going against his wishes still pained her.

      And yet she was doing it anyway. Changing her life.

      With no rescue necessary, all he had to offer was the gentle squeeze of his hand over her shoulder. The quiet communication that he understood. And maybe a confidence of his own.

      “We’ve got a date Tuesday night to stir up more press and gossip, but today’s beautiful. What do you say we take a ride somewhere and talk?” Payton deserved to know what had spurred this whole fiasco. “Head down to the Dunes? We can work out the game plan for the month. Pace it out. And maybe just catch up some, too.”

      Her smile lit up the room. “Let me grab a sweater.”

      Chapter Eight

      BENEATH the late September sky, Nate cut through the side streets, heading for Lake Shore Drive. Payton sat snuggled beside him in the sleek silver convertible, face tipped to catch the warm sunshine washing the city in an amber glow. The cold snap of a few days before coupled with the strong winds had blown half the autumn leaves from their trees in one quick drop. The result was a glorious quilt of toasted hues, alive with the wind, surging in swells and chasing the car in spirals of rusts and golds.

      It was beautiful.

      Nate grinned beside her. “Fall still your favorite time of year?”

      “Yes. Though it isn’t quite the same living in the city as it was back at the house.”

      “You miss raking?”

      She glanced over. “Yeah, I do.”

      Brandt had thought she was nuts. She remembered his disdainful stare as he watched her sweeping the rake back and forth across the yard, pulling the accumulated leaves into mass, ignoring the burn in her shoulders until she had the pile as wide and tall as she was.

      And then the surprise of strong hands grabbing her from behind, that wicked laugh coming a second before she was tossed into the pile.

      “You always helped me.”

      He let out a short laugh. “Wasn’t like Brandt would.”

      No. Nor her father. And Mom, she was more of Brandt’s mind. Confused why her daughter would even look at a rake when the landscapers would mow, blow and pluck every fallen leaf from the yard each Friday.

      They hadn’t gotten it. But Nate had.

      Payton closed her eyes, giving into the rush of open air around them as Nate blew south on the Drive headed for the Skyway. Her mind played in shadowed memories of leaf piles, Nate laughing at her side…and then as she drifted, lulled by the smooth hum of the engine, the memories became something else. A mix of then and now. A cross of memory and imagining blurred into one. The tastes and touches she’d only just learned coupling with their bodies rolling in a tangled embrace. The heavy weight of Nate pressing her down into a bed of crisp russet and plum foliage, the scent of woods and earth surrounding them.

      His name broke her lips on a sigh. “Nate…”

      “Yeah,

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