Page 337 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

Rolling away, she struggled to her feet, her terror manifesting in a piercing scream fueled by rage.

The stranger seethed and growled, moving to lunge toward her. She forcefully shoved him aside just as the station door behind her swung open with a bang.

“Get the fuck away from her!” Dominic bellowed with a devil’s fury.

The guy abandoned his pursuit, leaping into the truck and slamming the door behind him. Tires squealed as he peeled away, leaving her shaken but safe at the moment.

As he tore through the parking lot on foot, pursuing the vehicle and the brazen bastard, Dominic grabbed his phone from his back pocket and managed to capture a snapshot of the rear license plate.

Knowing he couldn’t exact immediate revenge, he stopped mid-stride, heaving aggravated breaths. Then he turned and raced back to Lara.

He wrapped her in his arms, cradling her against him as though she was the most precious thing in the world.

Had her head hit the ground? Did she need medical attention?

“Are you hurt, honey?” He pulled back to hold her face in his hands.

Dazed, she focused on his face and blinked. Her eyes were clear, though terrified. “I-I think I’m okay. Just…shaken.”

He clung to her. “I left you for three minutes. What the hell happened?”

Catching her breath, she hauled in gasps. “I think…that guy…tried to abduct me.”

The muscles in Dominic’s jaw tensed. “He messed with the wrong woman.”

Carefully, he dusted her knees, her skirt, her coat, as though assuring himself with his caresses that she was still in one piece. Then his gaze centered on her lower lip.

Jaw flexing, he said, “You’re not okay.

He traced a warm trickle that oozed from her lip to her chin. She winced at his touch. “I tried to defend myself.”

“That’s because you kick ass,” he said, a smile seeping into his words. He took her hands in his, investigating them. “Did you connect with skin?”

“No, he was fully covered.” She stared at two broken fingernails on her right hand. “I have no evidence for DNA,” she said, feeling vaguely defeated despite thwarting the attack.

“You were damned brave.”

“I’m still here.” She glanced up at him through a blurry sheen of fading fear. “Thanks to you.”

“You fought him and made him regret his stupid decision. It gave him extra reasons to back off.”

“I’m not convinced it was enough,” she said. “I might be at a stranger’s mercy if not for you.”

“I’m here for you.” He gave her an encouraging smile. “We need to go back inside. Detective Rally will want to hear all about this.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “You know how to leave an impression, sweetheart. You keep all the guys coming back for more.”

Despite the shocking attack, now that she felt secure with him by her side, she mustered enough trust to find his observation amusing. She rolled her eyes and quipped, “I’m just that irresistible.”

“I know,” he replied so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.

Detective Rally’s bellow from a window high above them made her wince. “What the hell? That guy came at you at my police station?”

“At least nothing slips by Detective Rally. Or the station’s video cameras.” Dominic sighed, pressing a kiss to her hair. “We’re gonna be here for another few minutes until they run the plates and check the footage. After that, I’ll take you somewhere you can relax.”

“Relax?” She huffed a stilted breath filled with equal parts frustration and exhaustion. “If it isn’t obvious, my life as I knew it is over. With no job, I have no clue how I’ll pay next month’s rent. I can’t even go to my apartment. If someone put a bomb in my car and a guy just tried to abduct me in front of a police station, I can’t risk going to the one place I’ve always felt secure.”

“You’re safe with me. You know that, right?” Dominic asked softly.

She dug the jagged edges of her broken fingernails into her palm. A serrated reminder of how life could turn in an instant from normal to never the same again.

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