his eyes glowed feral. A heartbeat later, he emptied himself onto her bed. Breath ragged and heaving, he sat up, balanced on his knees. Strength she didn’t know she had kept her talking.
“I put my panties on next and tuck the controller here for quick access.” She said it in the exact tone she’d use if someone came up to her line to pay for a registration renewal. Then she slid on her red skirt and turned around. “Voilà. Can’t see a thing.”
“It’s cute how you think I’m going to let you get away with that. Real cute.”
“Baron?”
“Cute.”
He wasn’t grinning, but she couldn’t begin to hide the smile on her face. Cautious, she backed her way out the bedroom. “We’ll talk about this when I get home.”
“You think you’re funny. You’re not.”
Still smiling, she grabbed her purse, keys and laptop case and headed out the door. She didn’t breathe again until she was safe in her car and even then, she got out more of a wheezing giggle than any actual intake of air.
She was just about to pull out the parking spot when Baron ran from the building waving papers above his head. What the crap had she forgotten? That amazing man. Even after all that torture, he was still a sweetheart. “You’re the best.”
“Sure.”
She gave the papers a quick scan. “Actually, I don’t think these are mine. These are—”
“No?” Baron leaned into the car and in one moment had his hand down the waist of her skirt. She grabbed hold of his arm as he fished around for the controller of the tiny toy still inside her.
“Don’t you dare! I swear, I—”
And he found it. All she could do was hold on to the steering wheel for dear life.
Chapter Ten
S he popped out her titillating device while parked on a side street a few blocks north of downtown. She’d been talking pure junk this morning. That toy had never left her apartment. Hell, she’d only used it one time.
She could still picture him grinning in the rearview mirror and tried to shake away the memory. This was her first day back in a week. She didn’t need any distractions.
Too late for that. She walked into work, late, tired and satisfied.
And ashamed.
The kind of ashamed where you hope you get to do the thing you’re ashamed of again real soon. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t scented the wall of fear until she slammed right into it.
With one foot inside the building, the weight of that panic pressed down near to the point of collapsing suffocation. She stepped back, but someone grabbed her from behind and forced her into the lobby.
A robbery? Here? Who robbed the county clerk’s office? The police department was just up the street.
Logic told her to relax. That same logic evaporated when a knee to her back sent her chin first into the floor. Where were the cops? Someone ought to have touched off the silent alarm by now.
She strained her ears, turning one to the ground. Sirens! But no one else heard them. Her relief was short lived as her ringing cell phone brought all attention back to her.
“You answer that phone and I’ll kill you.”
“I’ll turn it off.” She reached to do so and pain ripped through her body.
Pop! Pop, pop, pop-pop!
Five bullets ravaged her. She had time to count them all. Time, because she couldn’t pass out. Wolves almost never did. Every instant, pain burned as bullets tore new channels into her flesh. Some went straight through muscle. Others ricocheted off bone, sending splintering shards of it through helpless tissue.
Two of the robbers shouted for money. One, however, leveled his aim directly at her and fired once more, before running through the door.
The two left behind stuffed cash into their bags until the sirens drew nearer. In their scramble, they stepped on top of her as if she were nothing more than carpet beneath their feet. Tony rushed to her first and tried to hold her stomach together. He screamed of stitches and operations.
What she needed was to be alone. She could heal
“I put my panties on next and tuck the controller here for quick access.” She said it in the exact tone she’d use if someone came up to her line to pay for a registration renewal. Then she slid on her red skirt and turned around. “Voilà. Can’t see a thing.”
“It’s cute how you think I’m going to let you get away with that. Real cute.”
“Baron?”
“Cute.”
He wasn’t grinning, but she couldn’t begin to hide the smile on her face. Cautious, she backed her way out the bedroom. “We’ll talk about this when I get home.”
“You think you’re funny. You’re not.”
Still smiling, she grabbed her purse, keys and laptop case and headed out the door. She didn’t breathe again until she was safe in her car and even then, she got out more of a wheezing giggle than any actual intake of air.
She was just about to pull out the parking spot when Baron ran from the building waving papers above his head. What the crap had she forgotten? That amazing man. Even after all that torture, he was still a sweetheart. “You’re the best.”
“Sure.”
She gave the papers a quick scan. “Actually, I don’t think these are mine. These are—”
“No?” Baron leaned into the car and in one moment had his hand down the waist of her skirt. She grabbed hold of his arm as he fished around for the controller of the tiny toy still inside her.
“Don’t you dare! I swear, I—”
And he found it. All she could do was hold on to the steering wheel for dear life.
Chapter Ten
S he popped out her titillating device while parked on a side street a few blocks north of downtown. She’d been talking pure junk this morning. That toy had never left her apartment. Hell, she’d only used it one time.
She could still picture him grinning in the rearview mirror and tried to shake away the memory. This was her first day back in a week. She didn’t need any distractions.
Too late for that. She walked into work, late, tired and satisfied.
And ashamed.
The kind of ashamed where you hope you get to do the thing you’re ashamed of again real soon. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t scented the wall of fear until she slammed right into it.
With one foot inside the building, the weight of that panic pressed down near to the point of collapsing suffocation. She stepped back, but someone grabbed her from behind and forced her into the lobby.
A robbery? Here? Who robbed the county clerk’s office? The police department was just up the street.
Logic told her to relax. That same logic evaporated when a knee to her back sent her chin first into the floor. Where were the cops? Someone ought to have touched off the silent alarm by now.
She strained her ears, turning one to the ground. Sirens! But no one else heard them. Her relief was short lived as her ringing cell phone brought all attention back to her.
“You answer that phone and I’ll kill you.”
“I’ll turn it off.” She reached to do so and pain ripped through her body.
Pop! Pop, pop, pop-pop!
Five bullets ravaged her. She had time to count them all. Time, because she couldn’t pass out. Wolves almost never did. Every instant, pain burned as bullets tore new channels into her flesh. Some went straight through muscle. Others ricocheted off bone, sending splintering shards of it through helpless tissue.
Two of the robbers shouted for money. One, however, leveled his aim directly at her and fired once more, before running through the door.
The two left behind stuffed cash into their bags until the sirens drew nearer. In their scramble, they stepped on top of her as if she were nothing more than carpet beneath their feet. Tony rushed to her first and tried to hold her stomach together. He screamed of stitches and operations.
What she needed was to be alone. She could heal
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