He found her with her eyes closed and the steam rising around her, her hair slicked back, and he stepped into the tub. Her eyes flashed open and she sank deeper into the whirling bubbles.

“Rafe,” she said. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I just got here. You made it look irresistible.”

“I probably should have simply gone to bed.”

“Why?” he asked, his gaze dipping to her cleavage.

“I was tired.”

“So you decided to take a relaxing dip in the Jacuzzi. That’s why it’s here.”

She inhaled and let out a long sigh. “I guess you’re right. I’m not used to treating myself.”

“Maybe that’s something you should change.”

She shook her head. “Too much to do. When I get back to Atlanta, I’m sure I’ll have a ton of work waiting for me.”

“No need for you to rush back to Atlanta. You’re doing something very important for Joel right here,” he said. He wouldn’t tell Nicole what he had planned for her and Joel yet. He knew he needed to break past several barriers before she agreed to his plan of staying at his place for Joel’s security and for Rafe’s pleasure.

“I know that,” she said in a quiet, pensive voice.

“You’ve done a good job with him,” he said.

“Thank you. He’s a little shy and hesitant sometimes, but-”

“I noticed that. I think a karate class would be a good idea for him.”

Nicole stared at him, splashing as she sat up. “Karate? He’s too young for that. Besides, I’m very firm about teaching him to be nonviolent.”

“Karate isn’t violent,” he said, surprised at her reaction. “It teaches discipline, physical fitness, self-control. All that fosters self-confidence.” He remembered a time when he was young that his physical fitness had felt like the only thing he could control in his life. “You don’t have him involved in any sports, do you?”

“No. I planned to enroll him in T-ball in the spring.” She shook her head. “I can’t agree to karate at this young age.”

“He’s A Medici,” Rafe said. “At some point, he may run into people who, for whatever reason, resent me. I want him to be able to defend himself.” He paused a half beat. “Maybe it would help if you learned some self-defense techniques for yourself.”

“Me?” she echoed, aghast. “Why would I want to do that?”

“So you could understand why I think this is a good idea for Joel.” He shrugged. “I could teach you. I’m a black belt.”

She met his gaze and a slice of fear cut through her eyes. “A black belt,” she said, looking slightly ill. She shook her head. “I’m not really interested in learning karate. In fact, I’m really exhausted at the moment. I’m going up to bed.”

She rose from the tub, the water dripping down the porcelain skin of her lean frame. She looked like a goddess rising from the water. He rose to his feet and noticed her swaying movement.

He immediately shot out his hands to steady her. “Are you okay?”

“I guess I got a little too relaxed.” Her gaze dipped to his shoulders and chest then she blinked and looked away. In that second, he’d seen her covert admiration of his body. That Nicole, with all her reservations against him, was suffering a little lust in her heart gave him a rush. Touching the wet, naked skin of her waist made him hard.

“Let me help you out,” he said, guiding her up the steps and grabbing her towel on the chair. He wrapped it around her and gave her arms a gentle squeeze. “There. Better get you inside or you’ll get chilled. It’s warm tonight, but not that warm.”

While she stepped into a pair of flip-flops, he grabbed his own towel and gave himself a cursory rubdown. He ushered her inside the house and she stopped just inside the door.

“I’m okay now,” she said in a low voice that made him wonder if she would sound that way in bed. “Thanks. And good night.”

He watched her walk away, his gaze latching on to her bare legs and shoulders. Curling his fingers into a fist, he felt a punch of desire that surprised him. She was beautiful and classy, but so were other women. He liked the way she defended Joel like a mama bear. Her combination of toughness and sensual softness mesmerized him. He couldn’t remember aching for a woman with such fierceness. Was it because she was turning him down?

The truth was Rafe didn’t usually get turned down. Hell, for the most part, he didn’t even have to ask. Women came to him, and they all knew he wasn’t looking for anything serious or permanent. Although he’d confined his involvement to women who were both intelligent and beautiful, he could tell there was something different about Nicole. And he wanted a taste of it.

The next morning, Rafe’s driver took Nicole and Joel to the preschool where they met a teacher and went for a tour. She was prepared to dislike it and searched for reasons to nix the choice, but the Montessori-based school was clean, the staff-to-student ratio optimal and most importantly, the children appeared happy and well-tended.

After their visit, Nicole and Joel returned home. While Joel rushed to the playroom, Nicole went to her bedroom and booted up her laptop, eager to check her email.

Sipping the perfect coffee brewed by Rafe’s staff, she immediately noticed an email with an attachment from the P.I.

Her heart hammering in her chest, she downloaded the document and quickly read it. Rafe’s history was laid out for her in black and white. His birth, his father’s death and his subsequent displacement. His foster family had taken care of him as best they could, but they’d been unable to afford to send him to college. A football scholarship had helped him complete his education.

With unabashed curiosity, she read the rest of the report. He’d worked on yachts during summers off from high school and college. Before he acquired his first yacht, it appeared as if he’d worked nearly twenty hours per day. She couldn’t help feeling impressed. Rafe had worked and lived the American dream.

Under his criminal records, he’d been charged with assault on five different occasions.

The notation stopped her cold.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to read the rest of the report, but she feared she might faint. Stepping away from her laptop, she sank on to the bed and tried to gather her wits.

Assault. Assault. Assault. Assault. Assault. She gulped at the thought. What had made Rafe use his fists? Did that mean he would use them again? On Joel?

A cold chill rushed through her.

She could not let Rafe hurt Joel. She would do anything to stop him.

Returning to her laptop, she read the rest of the report. She should operate from truth. Rafe had been a bouncer for two of the hottest clubs in Miami. His charges had all been related to his job and they’d all been dismissed. Perhaps that should have made her relax, but it didn’t.

If Rafe was capable of violence, how would he use his strength against her or Joel? The instinct to take Joel and run roiled through her. If Rafe ever found out she was even thinking of running away with Joel, he would never let her near his son again. She was totally trapped unless she purchased flexible flights. Nicole printed off the investigator’s report then conducted a search for a schedule of flights that left Miami for international destinations. She placed her passport with Joel’s in the drawer and locked it. She needed all of this available for use at a moment’s notice if Rafe threatened Joel.

The rest of the week, Rafe must have arrived home after Nicole went to sleep and left before she rose. Although Nicole didn’t trust Rafe with Joel, she mentally gave him a black mark for not spending more time with Joel. If he was going to ignore his son, why should Joel move here?

The chauffeur drove Nicole and Joel to preschool and Nicole kissed him good-bye. The sight of him uncertainly entering his schoolroom tugged at her heartstrings. If only Rafe hadn’t reappeared, Joel would be safe and secure in his own comfort zone in Atlanta.