Callie's Convict
by Heidi Betts[ Romance ]
Between Heaven and Hell lies Purgatory, Texas--a town with too few saints...and too many sinners. STEALING THE MOMENT Wade Mason had been to Hell--and escaped. Shackled in iron manacles, the fleeing inmate traveled to Purgatory to claim his newborn son. He arrived at Callie Quinn's house ready to do battle. But the beautiful angel who guarded his child stripped him defenseless by plopping the crying bundle of joy straight into his unsuspecting arms. They just as surely as she'd released him from his chains, Callie freed his heart. And Wade knew he'd found Heaven in her embrace. When the intimidating outlaw showed up on her doorstep, Callie vowed she would fight tooth and nail to protect the infant entrusted to her. After all, what did a hardened felon know about babies? But one heated kiss told Callie that Wade understood all about tender care. And soon she realized he might be the convict, but she was prisoner to his touch, to his desires ... to his love.
PUSHING THE LIMITS
The convict took a step forward, and Callie shrank back automatically. But he only extended one shackled arm far enough to offer the return of her wrap and shift.
"You might want to put these on. It's been a good long while since I've had a woman, and there's no sense pushing the limits of my control."
Callie couldn't have agreed more. Taking the clothing, she half stood and shrugged them over her damp body as quickly as possible, showing as little flesh as she could manage. She stood in the middle of a foot of water, holding the hem of her gown up to keep it from getting wet. The man offered a hand to help her, but despite the chivalry of the gesture, she refused to touch him.
Seemingly unperturbed by her rejection, he retracted the preferred hand and instead stooped to spread the earlier missing towel on the floor beside the tub. The thick iron chains rattled with every move he made.
She had one foot on the towel, the other lifted to step the rest of the way out of the bath, when his next words froze her in place.
"Why don't we make this short and sweet for everyone involved? Just tell me where the boy is, and I'll be on my way."
