“You don’t like my apartment?”

Her gaze slanted his way, extreme dislike in her eyes. “There are naked women everywhere.”

Imagining her reaction to his decor, Jackson smiled. “Yeah.” He added with a shrug, “Women’s bodies are beautiful.”

She again looked at Dare and Trace. “Have you two seen—”

“It’s entertaining,” Dare told her.

Trace smiled.

“Well, I think it’s absurd! Every picture, every knick-knack, even a few statues, they’re all naked women.”

“I’m a connoisseur,” Jackson told her.

“You’re a…” She drew up short, probably remembering that she’d been intimate with him last night, all night from her telling, and that everyone in the room knew it.

Mulish, she crossed her arms. “If I decorate for you, there’ll be none of that.”

“You’re the designer.” Considering it settled, he turned back to Trace and Dare. “So we’re all set?”

Trace nodded. “You can be out of here before dinnertime?”

“No problem on my end.” Trying to be a gentleman, he asked Alani, “You need more time than that to get ready?”

“No.” She smiled. “Because I’m not going anywhere tonight.”

Stubborn. But he’d win her over. “Both Dare and Trace just finished up jobs.”

“Oh?” She didn’t hide her confusion.

Jackson nodded. “No matter how small the threat might be, do you really want them distracted with their concerns for you, instead of enjoying their downtime?”

The confusion morphed into resentment. “Dirty pool, Jackson.”

He shrugged. Whenever necessary, he fought dirty. “We’re the experts, right?”

“Yes.”

“And we’d prefer that you not be alone until we get a handle on what’s going on—so make a choice.”

“What choice?”

“Me.” He nodded toward Dare and Trace. “Or them.”

Her narrowed eyes made her look really mean. Finally she muttered, “Then I guess it’s…you.”

Such a grudging concession. Pleased with her, Jackson smoothed his thumb over her cheek. “I promise not to make it a hardship.” He couldn’t touch her without the sharpening of awareness, both carnal and emotional.

As they stared at each other, Alani’s anger melted away, replaced with breathless understanding.

Dare gave a theatrical cough.

Trace said, “For God’s sake, pump the brakes on that, will you, Jackson? We need to make some decisions here.”

Jackson smiled at her and bent and kissed her before she could turn away. With his arm slung around her shoulders, he turned to both men.

That Dare and Trace had so far stayed out of convincing her, leaving it up to him, suited Jackson. Unless they were waiting for him to fail so they could take over. He frowned at that possibility.

“I’d just like to point out—” Alani encompassed them all in her sweeping gaze “—none of you are thinking clearly.”

Instead of taking offense, Jackson said, “Everything is fine.” He punctuated that with a comforting hug.

“Oh, please. Only an idiot wouldn’t be worried at this point.” Her pointed look at Jackson drove home that barb.

“So now I’m not only a wimp, but an idiot, too?”

“I never said you were a wimp.”

“You think I need someone hovering over me, like I can’t take care of myself.”

“Well, forgive me for caring.”

Jackson went on the alert. “You care?” What did she mean by that? Did he want her caring for him? Well, beyond the sexual, because he definitely wanted her to care about getting sexual with him again. Over and over—

“Oh, for the love of…” Unaware of his mental fumbling, Alani propped her hands on her hips. “You’re the one who was drugged, so if anyone has reason to come unglued, it’d be you.”

Trace whistled low.

Dare looked up at the ceiling.

Alani glared at them both. “Oh, stop it. If he can dish it out, he can take it, too.”

Jackson clenched his molars. “I have never come unglued.”

She waved a hand, dismissing his outrage as negligible. “If I wasn’t involved, if I wasn’t part of the equation, what would the three of you be planning?”

“I don’t know, because you are a part of it.” Jackson would remember that, even if she didn’t. Losing all sense of discretion, he tipped up her chin. “And I’m telling you right now, one way or another, you’ll be removed from even the most remote possibility of danger.”

Her outraged gasp nearly choked her. “You’re threatening me?”

“To protect you?” He gave one sharp nod. “Damn right, darlin’. Whatever it takes. And don’t bother pouring that long wounded look on your brother, because he feels the same.”

Trace shrugged. “Told you it wouldn’t be easy.”

Damn it! He’d already known that Trace would try to talk her away from him, but now he had proof. “It’ll be easy enough if you don’t fight me.”

Alani took a step back, but not in fear. It looked more as if she braced to attack. “You’re all being…idiotic!”

Jackson eyed her militant stance, crossed his arms and sighed. “I guess I had to see your not-so-sweet side sooner or later, huh?”