Read Online Double the Heat by Deirdre Martin, Lori Foster, Elizabeth Bevarly, Christie Ridgway - Free Book Online Page A

grinning like an idiot, with one eyebrow raised.
    Hart cleared his throat and said, “Let’s save that for when we have some privacy.”
    Caroline took several deep breaths, then nodded. “Tomorrow,” she breathed with enough drama for the stage.
    As she turned to swish and sway away, Hart glanced at the two men. They quickly averted their eyes, but they’d been watching, and seething.
    He looked forward to annihilating them both. “Let’s go,” he said to Dex, who had already stood.
    “Don’t look at them anymore,” Dex told him. “It’s too obvious.”
    “Yeah, I know. But it’d be easier if I just went over there right now and beat them both to a pulp.”
    “What will you do?” Dex asked, knowing Hart wouldn’t instigate anything. He valued his position in the fighting organization too much. “I mean, I know the general idea, but do you have someone you can trust in the SBC to make sure they’re punished beyond a few punches to the face?”
    “Drew Black runs an up-front operation, and he’s not going to like it if they do try to carry through with their plan.” They walked past the men, far enough away that they couldn’t be overheard, especially not with the drone of the crowd filling the bar.
    Hart could feel their burning gazes on his back. So much hostility, he thought, all because he worked hard and succeeded. Some idiots always wanted a shortcut. “I imagine Drew will kick them out completely.”
    “Sounds right to me.”
    At the door, Dex and Hart separated, with Dex hanging back to make sure the men didn’t follow. Along with the street lamps and headlights of passing cars, a full moon illuminated the area and the parking lot beyond. Humidity hung in the air, making the night dense, damp.
    Sexy.
    Hart shook himself. Someone wanted to put him out of commission, and all he could think about was getting Lisa alone.
    Somewhere in the shadows, Joe lurked, watching over her. Hart could see the faint outline of her profile where she sat in the passenger seat of his car. Waiting for him.
    He inhaled the humid night air and jogged across the street.
    The second he opened the car door and slid in, Lisa looked at him—and frowned. He closed the door, putting the interior in shadow once again. Moonlight shone on her glasses, and added a soft glow to her skin.
    Hart wanted to kiss her, but before doing anything else, he used his cell to call Joe, letting him know the plan he’d made with Caroline Welsh.
    As Lisa listened to him talk, her frown intensified. He could feel her tension in the close confines of the front seat. Jealousy? There was no reason for it, but Hart accepted it as a good sign. Never before had he wanted to deal with a possessive or jealous woman. But this was Lisa, and he was quickly realizing that with her, everything was different.
    After disconnecting the call with Joe, Hart turned to her, smiled, and leaned over to take her by surprise with a quick kiss. He kept it short and sweet; otherwise, he might have gotten carried away. He wanted to be alone with her.
    He wanted a bed nearby.
    And the sooner he got away, the better the odds that no one would see Lisa with him. He didn’t want to take any chance on the men expanding their plot to include her. As he pulled away from the curb, he saw Joe join Dex in front of the bar. Together they headed toward Joe’s truck.
    After they were more than a mile from the bar, with Lisa still frowning at him, Hart tried a smile. “Joe said you got their names?”
    “Yes.”
    He raised a brow. “Care to share with me?”
    “Brad Emery and Tyler Stevens.”
    He mulled that over, but they didn’t ring a bell. Still, he didn’t know everyone by a long shot, only the guys from his camp. “Never heard of them. You’re sure they’re fighters?”
    “Brad Emery is, or so he claimed. I’m not sure about the other one.” Her eyes narrowed. “You smell like strong perfume.”
    “I do?” He lifted his arm and sniffed. “I don’t smell