that, she knew, was simply not a possibility. "you haven't been sitting still." he'd only swung by her house in the mornings and at night. the other times, they'd had a rotation of both male and female darkriver soldiers.

"we have a bead on his base of operations." a smile that was openly feral. "we'll get him."

she nodded, but had the distinct feeling he wasn't telling her everything. and why should he, part of her pointed out. she was just someone he was protecting. maybe he lusted after her, too, but jet was right, the cats stuck together. she didn't know any darkriver people who'd entered into long-term relationships with humans-sexual, business, or otherwise. "emmett," she began, intending to ask that question, then realizing he might see it as

expectation.

"yeah?"

"nothing." she shook her head. "i think the first appointment is about a ten-minute walk away."

for a second, it looked like emmett was going to pursue her aborted statement, but to her relief, he followed her lead and they headed off-with ria sandwiched between the safety of the shop walls and emmett's big frame. his constant alertness made her feel safe on the innermost level.

"what kinds of jobs are you applying for?" he asked a block from the first location on her list.

"administrative," she said, then made a face. "i'd really love to run my own office-you know, be in charge of all the organizing for the boss, but that's going to be far in the future. first, i need experience-so i'll end up someone's lackey."

emmett laughed at her tone. "i don't think you'll be a lackey for long."

"no, i won't," she said, and took several deep breaths. "right, here it is. wish me luck."

"i'll wish you luck inside." he pulled open the outer door.

"emmett, i can't go into an interview with a bodyguard."

his eyes turned flint-hard. "vincent knew when you'd be coming home from your course.

chances are high that he's worked out you'd now be applying for jobs."

she grit her teeth. "this is an established firm. i hardly think i'm going to be in danger from the sixty-year-old manager."

"you're not going behind a closed door with anyone."

ria argued until she was close to the screaming point but he wouldn't budge. predictably, her interviews didn't go well. the first manager was so

affronted at the idea of being considered a threat that he booted her out without an interview.

the next two were female and couldn't stop staring at

emmett long enough to listen to ria. when one finally did throw her a crumb of attention, it was to give her a condescending smile and say that maybe

she wasn't cut out for office work.

a babysitter didn't exactly inspire confidence.

ria was close to tears by the fourth interview, but not from anxiety. from sheer rage. "thank you for destroying my chances of employment," she said as they got off the skytrain near chinatown, having circled the city for her appointments.

"ria," he began.

she slapped up a hand, palm out. "i am cut out for office work. i do my mother's books. not only that, i do the entire family's books. i make sure my father goes to his appointments and amber sees the obstetrician on time, that grandmother takes her medications and jet doesn't forget to write new year cards to our aunts in albuquerque. i am damn well cut out for office work!"

"i never said you weren't."

the soothing tone in his voice made ria want to bite him. "no, you simply stood there like i couldn't be counted on to take care of myself if someone

tried to hurt me. that day, at the gym, it was all bullshit!"

his scowl was thunderous. "take that back."

"i'm not talking about that, you idiot. i'm talking about the self-defense stuff. it was just to pacify me. you don't even trust me to scream." that had been the first lesson he'd taught her-scream as loud as you can and run. "you know what, i think that makes the other stuff bullshit, too."

"hold on a fucking minute."__

six

i gnoring him, she walked through the automatic doors of the medium-sized office building that was the location of her next appointment and strode up to the counter. "hi," she said to the well-groomed woman on the other side, her skin a lush, flawless mahogany. "i have an appointment with lucas hunter."

the woman's eyes flicked behind ria's shoulder, and something like surprise passed through them, but her voice, when she turned to ria, was wholly professional. "name?"

"ria wembley."

a warm smile. "you're fifteen minutes early, ms. wembley. if you'll wait here, i'll let you know when lucas has finished with the current applicant."

"thanks." she was walking toward the seating area when she belatedly realized she didn't know the name of this company. the ad had simply said that a small but growing construction firm was seeking administrative staff. since that ad had been vetted by the college where she'd taken her course, she hadn't worried too much about the lack. but her ignorance probably wouldn't look too good . .

. if this hunter person even bothered to see her after

learning about emmett.

turning on her heel, she skirted around emmett to speak to the receptionist again. "i'm sorry.

i noticed that your doors don't have the company name on

them."

the woman's gaze flicked to emmett again. ria fumed. but the beautiful brunette didn't seem to be checking him out. "actually," she said after a small pause, "the name's still in discussions . . . er, the partners haven't decided on the order."

"oh." that was odd, but not odd enough to make her run. beggars, as they said, couldn't be choosers. nodding, she walked to the comfortable

arrangement of armchairs to the left of the reception counter, choosing a seat bathed in sunshine.

emmett sprawled beside her. "what we shared was not bullshit. and i didn't know you even knew how to swear."

the joke just irritated her. "if you can lie about one thing, why not another?"

"now, hold on. i never lied to you."

"oh yeah? what do you call teaching me self-defense, then treating me like a brainless ninny?"

"excuse me."

ria jerked up at the sound of the receptionist's voice.

"lucas is free now," she was told. "the interviews are taking place one floor up."

as she got up and headed across the lobby to the elevators, someone called out a hello.

since she didn't know the male heading out the front door, she assumed it had been aimed at emmett. "friend?" she stabbed the touchpad beside the elevator.

he wouldn't meet her eyes. "yeah."

the elevator doors opened to reveal an empty cage and she could've sworn she heard emmett sigh in relief. "fear of crowded elevators?"

"something like that."

they were on the next floor what felt like an instant later. the meeting room was obvious by its open door. the man who came to that door was beyond

handsome-bright green eyes, dark hair that brushed his shoulders and savage clawlike markings on the right side of his face. he was young . . . yet not.

experience flickered in that striking green gaze, and ria knew he'd sized her up in a single fleeting instant.

"ria"-he held out a hand-"i'm lucas. come on in."

she shook and went to explain emmett . . . except that her self-appointed bodyguard had already grabbed a seat in the plush armchair outside the

meeting room. her mouth hung open for a second before she snapped it shut. what in the . .

. ? this lucas, with his aura of contained power, was

undoubtedly far more dangerous than anyone else she'd met today and emmett was okay with her being alone with him?

deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she walked in, aware of lucas closing the door behind her as she took a seat on one side of a small

table. there was something about his walk when he came to take his own seat . . . he reminded her of someone.

"water?" at her nod, he poured her a glass and pushed it across. "i've read your resume.

you've just completed studies in advanced office

administration?"

she took a sip before answering. "yes, at the top of my class. i've also had some on-the-job experience through the course."

lucas nodded. "i have no doubt your technical skills are excellent. we checked with the college and with the people you put down as references."

the efficiency of it surprised and pleased her. "your ad said you were seeking a number of staff," she said, finding herself relaxing in spite of her vivid awareness of his power. the woman who took on lucas hunter, she thought, would have her work cut out for her. "could you give me more information about the positions-i could perhaps tell you which i might be best suited for."

"actually, you're on the short list for a particular position already. that's what i want to discuss-it's in no way a normal administrative job."

ria was intrigued. "no?"

"no." a smile that turned him from gorgeous to beautiful in a very masculine way. she appreciated the sight, but without wanting to jump his bones. not like with emmett. and that thought had no business interrupting her interview. corralling her runaway hormones, she turned her attention firmly back to lucas.

"how are you with chaos?" he asked.

"i love it." her response was instinctive. "it gives me more to organize."

lucas laughed. "what about constant interruptions, having to rejig meetings on a moment's notice, and a boss who might be impossible to track down