Chapter One
"No way in hell." Casey glared at the two deputies standing by her car. "Don can drop dead."

Ben Harst sighed. "You know the drill after last week, Casey. Don't put up a fight. Don just wants to talk to you, so there's no reason to get all upset. We don't want to have to pin you down to take you into town in handcuffs again." The man inched away from his patrol car blocking her car in the driveway, staring up at Casey on her porch. "Just come along peacefully."

Greg Borrow nodded solemnly. "Don won't hurt you. He broke up with Donna and he just wants to talk. That's all."

Fear inched up Casey's spine. Donald Hass was the town sheriff, whom she'd broken up with six months ago when he'd cheated on her. The week before he'd had his deputies arrest her in town. Don had almost raped her when she wouldn't take him back. If she hadn't screamed to draw attention she had no doubt that he wouldn't have stopped. Don wasn't going to get his hands on her again. The guy was crazy.

"Leave me alone. You know he attacked me. Hell, Ben." Her gaze flew to him. "You ran in his office when I screamed. He had me pinned down on his desk with my hands handcuffed behind my back taking my jeans down. I don't want him. I'd never take him back. He needs a damn shrink."

"He said you guys were role-playing. I really don't want the details on your kinky sex life."

"Kinky sex life?" She gaped at Ben. "He tried to rape me. He had you arrest me. He wasn't taking no for an answer. Maybe you missed learning the law when you became a deputy, but it's illegal to force someone to have sex. You can't take me back to him."

"Sorry." Greg sighed. "We're under orders to arrest you."

"On what charge?" She backed up a few feet more. "You can't arrest me without charging me for a crime."

Greg and Ben glanced at each other. Ben turned his attention on her. "You kicked him last week and he wants you arrested for assault."

Shock tore through her. "I was trying to make him stop pulling my pants down."

"Well," Greg announced. "Those are the charges. Now come here, Casey. We'll read you your rights and handcuff you real gentle. You know he'll drop the case if you just hear him out."

"No."

Both men walked toward her porch. Terror hit Casey. They were really going to arrest her. After last week she knew what Don was capable of. This time she bet he'd send his deputies away so no one would be there to save her. She fled into her house and slid the deadbolt into place. Casey wondered if they would really break into the house to come after her. She hoped not.

One of the deputies tested the knob, realizing it was locked when it wouldn't turn in his hand. Ben spoke. "Open the door, Casey, or we'll kick it in. Your car isn't going anywhere. You have nowhere to run. You know you'll take him back."

"No. I won't," she yelled out and backed up more. "I know he's a jerk now. He can go to hell."

Alarm tore through her when one of them kicked the door hard. She heard the wood crack but it held. She ran through her living room, and as she reached the kitchen, the front door crashed open into the wall. Hatred for Don poured through her. Casey was so over his ass it wasn't funny.

What she'd ever seen in the handsome son of a bitch... yeah, she thought, there was that.

He was eye candy who could charm a nun out of her underwear, but those good aspects of him died for her when he'd cheated.

She flew down the back porch steps. She'd lived in the thick woods all her life and ran for them at full speed. If she could just get down by the river, she knew they wouldn't be able to find her. Dozens of hiding places flashed through her mind.

Boots pounded down the porch steps behind her. Being five foot five wasn't to her advantage in a race when everyone was taller, and had longer damn legs. Sprinting wasn't her strong suit, she decided, as she dodged trees to avoid slamming into them. Ben cursed as he ran with Greg who breathed heavily as they pursued her.

One of them grabbed her long, dark brown hair as if it were a tether. Casey screamed out in pain as she was yanked abruptly to a halt. She felt a heavier body hit her from behind when Ben was unable to stop in time, so the three of them crashed facedown to the ground in a heap.

Ben wasn't an in-shape deputy, he was more of the donut-loving variety, so his body crushed her hard enough to knock the air from her lungs when he landed on her. Pain sliced through her body as the man shifted his frame on her smaller one. Someone gripped her wrist, yanking it painfully behind her back.

"Damn," Ben panted, "you made us chase you."

Dragging in air to her lungs, Casey screamed. She managed to yank her hand out of Ben's hold while she fought. The deputy cursed when she shoved at his face with her free hand.

Another scream tore from her as both men grabbed hold of her, pinning her to the ground on her belly.

"Stop fighting, damn it. Don't make us hurt you," Greg yelled as he grabbed her flailing wrist, using his knee to push her hip against the ground.

Pain made her scream again. The knee painfully dug into her, as he put weight on her ass.

She saw him grab at his handcuffs. Movement from behind Greg drew her attention in that direction, and astonishment made her stop struggling when a huge man walked out of the trees.

No, she thought. He stormed forward. Long black hair flowed in disarray down to his waist. He looked huge. Black leather encased most of his deeply tanned body. Hair covered most of his features, and with his head lowered, she couldn't see his face well. He moved fast but she couldn't miss that body and her mind struggled to process the sight before her.

The formfitting material covering the stranger embraced wide shoulders and really muscular arms, the outfit showed his massive chest and trim waist. Thick, muscular thighs were showcased in pants that tapered down strong calves to some kick-ass heavy black boots that looked made to do serious damage.