“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Magnificent.” Undaunted by the city lights, the night sky held millions of stars. “I’ve never seen it quite like this.” While staring at the sky, Gwen didn’t mind their stop in the desert nearly as much as she had a moment ago.

“The desert has the best view of the universe,” he muttered.

She leaned against the car and tilted her head back. After a few minutes she asked, “Do you ever wonder if there’s something else out there?”

“Intelligent life?”

“Yeah.”

Neil sighed. “I hope so.”

She smiled at that. “Me too. I’d hate to think we’re it.”

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut.”

Gwen looked at him. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you pursue space?”

“I don’t know. Lost interest. Moved on.”

She understood that. “I wanted to be a ballerina.”

“What stopped you?”

The hair on her arms stood up and the cool night made her shiver.

“You’ll laugh if I tell you.”

“I don’t smile, so laughing is out of the question.”

She giggled, completely unprepared for a joke.

Neil tried to hide his smile.

“I was too fat.”

His jaw dropped. “You don’t have an ounce to spare.”

“I know. Never have…but prima ballerinas eat salad and question the dressing. I enjoy food too much.” She returned her stare to the stars and rubbed her arms. “I still enjoy the ballet. The grace and beauty of the dance.”

Neil shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it over her shoulders. She snuggled into his side and surprisingly he kept his arm on her shoulders. “Thank you.”

He gave a passing smile and looked up again. “I’ve never been to a live stage show. Outside of a rock concert.”

“Really? Why?”

“Never occurred to me to go.”

Her head rested on his shoulder as they talked. “I suppose the wealth I’ve always been surrounded by has afforded me many fine things in life. But you know something?”

“What?”

“I’ve never seen this, a night sky so crisp and clear with stars that look like the finest diamond in a bright light.”

“The best things in life cost nothing.”

True.

A star shot across the sky. “Did you see that?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

She closed her eyes and wished they’d make it home safely.

“What are you doing?”

She opened her eyes and found him staring at her. “Making a wish. C’mon, make a wish upon a falling star…surely you’ve heard of that.”

“Ahh.” He was smiling again and the sight took her breath away.

“Are you going to make a wish?”

He shook his head.

“Why not?” She turned to him, his hand rested on her arm.

“I don’t believe in wishes.”

She huddled under his coat. “It’s only a small fantasy, or desire, to wish for something. It’s meant to be fun.”

His smile fell and his gaze slid to her lips.

“It’s OK to have fun once in a while, Neil.”

She caught his eyes again, and drowned in his gaze. He leaned in and she made a second wish, his wish, that he not pull back this time.

Neil’s hand moved up her arm and pulled her closer before her wish came true. There, in the middle of the desert filled with wild animals and a zillion stars, Neil kissed her. Hot, desperate kisses that filled every lonely pore of her body.

Gwen skirted her hands up his thick chest and clawed into his skin. She opened for him, accepting the feeling of his tongue alongside hers. She couldn’t breathe, his embrace was so hard, but she didn’t care. She could breathe later. Now was the time for feeling. As in how his hand found the back of her head and he guided her where he wanted. It was then she knew that she would give him anything should he ask.

Her dreams didn’t prepare her for his touch. She pushed into him, felt his arousal, and wanted all of him.

If his kiss was any indication, he wanted her, too.

So why was he pushing her away?

His hot breath blew upon her cheek. “Gwendolyn,” he sighed.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she confessed.

The arms that held her tightened.

“You’re a distraction. Distractions get you killed.”

Was he saying this to himself? Or to her?

“There’s no one out here but us.” And wild, hot sex, even on the hood of the car, was better than backing away now.

“We can’t do this.” He took her head in both hands and looked into her eyes. “Not now.”

She could taste the argument on her lips.

She swallowed it.

I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer. Now that she’d sampled him, she’d taste him on her lips every time she thought of him.

Blake intended to follow Neil’s advice. Until he’d heard that he and Gwen had left in the middle of the night and hadn’t been seen since. At that point, Blake told his pilot to fuel his private jet and he kissed his wife and son good-bye.

Samantha hadn’t been happy about being left in Albany, but a stomach flu kept her from using her power over him to let her come. If Neil’s concerns were even half validated, Blake didn’t need his family underfoot or in harm’s way while he searched for his sister and bodyguard.

Once the jet set down on the west end of the runway and customs cleared him, Blake walked to the car waiting to take him home.

“Mr. Harrison?”

Not used to seeing anyone but Neil as his driver, Blake did a double take.

“First Class Services sent me.” First Class Services was a company Blake had used from time to time. He needed to thank Sam when he talked to her later that night.

Blake nodded and ducked into the backseat. Dean was sitting on the opposite seat, a smirk on his face. “Welcome home, Your Grace.”

Blake shook the detective’s hand. “Knock that Grace crap off, Dean. What the hell is going on?”

Dean nodded toward the driver who inched off the runway.

“All their drivers are cleared before they get behind the wheel.”

Dean sucked in a deep breath.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, Blake. Eliza called me. Told me about the dead neighbors. We tuned into the radios of Tarzana’s men…heard the calls going back and forth. They weren’t happy about having to let Neil poke around and even less excited to see us arrive. At first glance, it looks like birds nested inside the hot tub’s electrical system.”