I'm a goddamned fool.Caleb would have slammed his door except he didn't want Jasmine to come running and ask what was wrong. How could he tell her that what was wrong was his off the charts desire for her. A desire it had taken every bit of his self control to sit on for the past two weeks. How was it possible there was such a strong pull between them? He hadn't felt a damn thing for anyone for more than a year. He should have turned around and walked out that first day but instead he'd stayed and punished himself by wanting her with every cell in his body. He wanted to plunge himself inside her while he sucked on one of her nipples. Would the tip be rosy pink or a deeper color? Asshole that he was, he lay in this bed too many nights since he'd taken this gig and imagined her naked, her body next to him, warm and pliant and as hungry for him as he was for her. His senses were still filled with the scent of vanilla and roses, clinging to his clothes from when he'd had her body press

What the fuck was that all about? Even before what Caleb referred to in his mind as the disaster he'd never had more than a sexual pull toward any woman. But watching Jasmine, listening to her, seeing the joy in her face, he wanted to sweep her into his arms, hold her tight and make all the bad memories go away. He knew he was seeing something special here.She was born to this."She sure was," Carson agreed.Caleb startled, not realizing he'd spoken his thoughts aloud."Sorry, I, uh, -""No problem. Glad to see you appreciate what we've got here. Okay, I'm moving along. Call me if you need anything."Hours later, even with his butt sore from sitting and his stomach protesting the excess consumption of coffee, he was stunned to realize how much time had passed. How his attention had been captured by the electric quality of the music. Of Jasmine's songs. Before he left Carson had flipped the switches so he could hear everything in the booth. Even with all the stops and starts, wit

Jasmine couldn't ever remember being this excited, even when she'd first signed with Carson and she was high on the takeoff of her career. Afternoons and evenings-sometimes until three in the morning-she worked in the studio with the band nailing down the new material. Nights, no matter how late they got back to the hotel, she and Caleb made incredible love and then she slept in his arms.The morning following that first night she'd been startled and amazed when she woke up in bed with Caleb. On the one hand she wanted to just cuddle up with him and shut out the world. On the other she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Caleb to tell her what a big mistake it was. To even have the nerve to apologize. And then to tell Carson he'd have to find another bodyguard.But whatever drew them together, against all odds also kept them bound together. She knew he was still finding his way out of his voluntary isolation. She was still on tiptoes making sure she didn't do something

Caleb had been in very sophisticated cockpits when he was in Special Forces. He'd been in a couple of control towers as part of a mission. But the setup at TruSound Studios blew his mind. The sound booth was three times as large and four times as complicated as the one where they'd been rehearsing. Jasmine had told him this was where she'd recorded her other albums and he realized what Carson meant about spending a penny to make a penny. This was the elite of recording studios, no doubt about it.Greg and Hitch, the sound engineers, greeted Jasmine with bear hugs, shook hands with the band and acknowledged the introduction to the new bass player. They didn't seem the least bit phased when Jasmine introduced Caleb as her bodyguard. It seemed a lot of people knew the story of what happened with Cobra."Damn, Jasmine," Greg teased. "I'd have guarded your body for nothing. He winked and said to Caleb, "Just joking, guy. We've been recording Jas since Carson brought her in here to do her

Caleb had one word to describe the tour-insanity. Jasmine's new celebrity had crowds swarming wherever they went. It was a damn good thing Carson had reached out to the police departments in each city, gotten a contact and set it up to hire off duty cops as needed. The band was practically wetting itself, they were so over the top about it. And maybe because of that, and because Jasmine was the key, they had appointed themselves her extra protections. Wherever she went, they went, even if they did nothing else but take orders from Caleb.They had hit their third stop before the first sign of trouble showed its head."Sorry to bother you this, early, but the bus is fucked." It was six in the morning, they were due to leave at ten and Gary was on the phone with Caleb. "The driver's losing his shit.""What's the problem?" He was glad his training had taught him to come alert in seconds."It's the engine. Someone put sugar in the gas tank and it gummed up the engine."Shit!"Okay, ok