Madison crouched near the corner of Rafe Jackson's porch. It had been almost three hours, and he still hadn't come home. Since it was a Monday night, she'd assumed he wouldn't have a date. Well, she really hoped he didn't. If so, she'd be stuck out here all night.

January in Florida wasn't that cold, but it was cold enough. She tried to snuggle deeper in her coat, but it was no use. Earlier she'd grabbed one of her button-down belted coats that was all about style and not practicality. Hell, she'd planned to meet friends after work for drinks. The walk to the bar was only a few blocks. She hadn't needed anything thicker. Now she was stuck sitting on a porch, freezing to death.

After the insane day she'd had, Rafe's house was the only place she could think to go. She couldn't go home, and she definitely couldn't stay with any of her family or friends. Unfortunately she hadn't talked to him in four months. The last time she'd seen him, he'd acted like a royal jackass to one of her dates. The guy had gotten a little too touchy, but she'd been in complete control of the situation and had been about to handle things before Rafe barged in and just took over. She was tired of him treating her like a kid. Even so, he was a cop, and she trusted him with her life.

Madison just hoped he'd help her now.

Bright headlights coming up the drive jerked her out of her thoughts. As she peered over the top of the oversized wicker chair, she held her breath. Relief coursed through her when she saw Rafe's two-door Ford truck. Okay, relief and a healthy dose of fear.

Considering the way he'd practically threatened her date with bodily harm all those months ago, he was probably going to be a little more than angry when he found out she'd snuck out of the police station a few hours ago.

The door slammed, and she tried to crouch lower even though it was impossible. Just because she wanted to be invisible didn't mean it would magically happen. The seconds seemed to tick by in slow motion.

When she heard his footsteps stomping up the few stairs of the porch, she popped up from her hiding position. “Rafe?”

At the sound of his name, he swiveled toward her, surprise written in every line of his face. “Madison?” His voice was scratchy and tired.

Rafe wasn't necessarily handsome, but he definitely had that tall, dark, and mysterious thing going on. Where she had dark hair and pale skin, everything about him was dark. Dark hair, very tan skin, dark eyes, and of course, he always seemed to be in a dark mood. She couldn't be sure since he didn't know who his father was, but she guessed he had a little bit of Cuban running through his blood. He had a perfect tan year-round without working at it. She'd seen him with his shirt off on more than one occasion, and the man had a body like a Greek god. With perfectly sculpted abs and pecs, he certainly got his share of attention from women. Not that she'd really noticed. Much.

She scooted the chair out of the way and fought to stay calm. “I didn't know where else to go.”

In response, he crossed the few feet between them. Before she realized what he planned, he'd grabbed her arms and pulled her into a tight hug. She couldn't even catch her breath as he lifted her off the ground.

Her day had pretty much sucked. She hadn't even realized she'd needed this kind of contact, but it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Allowing herself to relax, her arms wound their way around his neck, and she laid her head against his shoulder. She could stay like this all day. They might have their differences, but Rafe had always been there for her when she needed him. She actually felt safe in his embrace. His very muscular embrace.

And damn, he smelled good.

That thought jerked her back to reality. She did not need to be noticing how her brother's best friend smelled. Rafe thought of her as a little sister anyway. So even if she dared to dip into her forbidden fantasy, it was just plain stupid.

Pulling her head back, she cleared her throat. “Uh, Rafe?”

His entire body jerked, as if he'd forgotten who he was holding on to and immediately he dropped her. Her boots made a loud thud when she hit the floor.

“How'd you get here?”

“I drove. And before you ask, I parked in your garage.” She'd known it would be empty. His truck was too big to fit comfortably.

“What the hell are you doing here? Half of Miami PD is looking for you.” There was an edge to his voice she'd never heard before. It sent a strange shiver down her spine. She ignored it.

“I think I might have gotten into some trouble, and you're the first person I thought of.” At her words, his face softened a little. Not much, and it probably wouldn't be discernible to anyone else, but she'd known him forever.

He shook his head. “Come on, you little minx. Let's talk about this inside.”

After he unlocked the door, he held it open for her. As she walked past him, she got the strangest feeling in her gut. Once she was in the foyer, she stuck her hands in her coat pockets as he locked the door behind them.

“Hungry or thirsty?” His gravelly voice rolled over her.

“I could go for a glass of wine. If you have any. Or a beer would be fine.” She snapped her mouth shut when she realized she was rambling.

He shrugged out of his brown leather jacket and hung it on the hook by the door. “Yeah, I think I've still got that bottle of red you got me as a housewarming present.”

“Really?”

Rafe made some sort of grunting noise as he headed for the kitchen. She assumed he meant for her to follow, so she did. As she took a tentative seat on one of the chairs at his kitchen table, he grabbed a long-stemmed wineglass from one of the cabinets.

“Want me to tell you how half of Miami PD is out hunting for you right now?” he asked without turning around.

She inwardly cursed. She'd been hoping he hadn't heard about what happened. “I guess you know about what I saw, huh?”

He glanced over his shoulder as he pulled a bottle opener from one of the drawers. “Oh yeah. When you disappeared, word spread.”

She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “I didn't mean to run. It just sort of happened. That detective guy, Dave something…”

“Armenta,” he supplied.

“Yeah. That's the one. He freaked me out. As I was giving my statement, he started talking about drug running, possible witness protection, and then he brought up Sandrino Carbajal. I don't want anything to do with that monster! I've heard what he does to people, Rafe. So, I told him I had to go to the restroom, and I left.”

“Damn it, Madison! You never think anything through,” he muttered, still not looking at her.

“That's not fair. You know what? Screw you!” She pushed up from the table, sending the chair flying backward. After dealing with that jerk detective and waiting out in the cold, she was dangerously close to crying. And she refused to cry in front of Rafe. Self-righteous bastard. She'd watched someone get nearly beaten to death. Was it too much to ask for a little sympathy? She turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen. He'd been treating her like this since she was a teenager. Somehow he knew how to get under her skin and make her feel like a stupid kid without even trying.

“Madison.” Rafe grabbed her arm just as she made it to the front door.

She hadn't even heard him follow her; she had no choice but to turn and face him. She placed her other hand on her hip. “You're such a dick sometimes. I made a mistake in coming here.” Madison tried to pull away. Even though his grip wasn't hurting her, it was unrelenting.

“Will you calm down for a second? Listen, I'm sorry. I'm glad you came to me.”

“Don't tell me to calm down, and don't treat me like some irresponsible teenager. I did think things through. I'm scared, and when I told that detective guy that I wanted to talk to you before I signed my statement, he told me he was in charge of the case and I could talk to you only when I was finished.”

Something dark and almost predator-like crossed Rafe's face. “He said that?” His voice was so low it was barely a whisper, but it still sent a shiver skittering down her spine.

Unable to find her voice, she simply nodded.

Rafe dropped her arm and rubbed a hand over his face. “Come on, minx. Let's get you that glass of wine.”

Part of her wanted to leave, but she knew it would be stupid when cops and possibly dangerous people were out looking for her. Madison followed him back into the kitchen and sat, waiting while he poured her a glass.

After he got a beer from the stainless steel fridge, he sat across from her. “You need to go back to the station.”

She bit her bottom lip but held his penetrating gaze. “I know. I was just thinking maybe you could go with me tomorrow.” When his jaw clenched, she knew he was going to say no so she continued. “Please. Promise you won't tell anyone where I am. Just for tonight.”

He sighed, and she wished she knew what was going on in his head. Finally he spoke. “Fine. But you're staying here tonight. I'm not letting you out of my sight. And we're going to talk about this later.”

The last thing she wanted to do was talk about everything she'd seen. Still, she was relieved he wasn't dragging her down to the station. Maybe she should just tell him what she'd seen and get it over with. “I saw this guy beating some poor kid while two men in suits just watched. I tried calling the police but couldn't get through the first time, so I did the only thing I could think of. I got their attention and told them the police were on their way before I ran away. If I hadn't, I think the guy planned to kill him. When I made eye contact with the guy throwing all the punches and kicks, I knew he looked familiar. After reviewing mug shots, I realized why. I've seen him on the news before.” She snapped her mouth shut so she'd stop rambling.

Rafe swore softly under his breath. “That was a stupid thing to do,” he muttered.

She bit her bottom lip and prepared for another lecture.

“And also really brave,” he continued, his voice softer. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She sucked in a breath at the almost intimate contact. Rafe viewed her as a younger sister. In her gut, she knew that. When he touched her, however, it made her stomach do funny things. Since he didn't move his hand, she cleared her throat. Immediately his hand dropped. Her thoughts were starting to wander to visions of what was underneath Rafe's clothes. No good could come of that. “Thanks for letting me stay here. I promise I'll stay out of your hair. Just point me to the guest room.”

A small smile played across his normally hard lips. “I was planning to crash in front of the television and watch a movie. It's not that late if you want to join me.”

“Sure, but do you have something else I could change into?” She'd been wearing her snug jeans and sweater all day, and all she wanted to do was relax.

“I'll see what I can find,” he practically growled at her before stalking from the room.

She shook her head at his retreating figure. The man was such a mystery. Sometimes he was so sweet and other times he acted like a big grumpy bear.