Page 22 of Vicious Sabotage

“They’re on my feed now. Don’t worry—I’ll give you access. But not control.”

“This. Is. My. Bar.”

“Yes. And you’re under my protection. Which puts me in charge of the security around here. You already have enough to do without worrying about camera footage.”

She stomped a small, booted foot into the floor. “This is my bar!”

Goddamn, she was cute. Adorable. Sexy. Desirable. And completely untamed.

I could tame her.

The thought jolted through his brain and lit up every pathway in his system with molten need.

He hated to think Colton was right about his taste in women…but he was right.

“You really hate giving up control, don’t you?” Carver didn’t hesitate to call Livia out.

She shot him a dirty look and folded her arms in a defiant pose that didn’t fool him at all. She might have a tough exterior, but inside…she was hurting. All the time.

He recognized all the signs. Had seen it in his fellow SEALs he fought with, Ledger in particular.

Seen it in himself too.

“My father owned this bar. He poured his whole life, all his time and energy, into it.”

“So you never saw him.”

“I never said that.” But her expression told Carver otherwise.

“But he was always here. Did he drink too?” He pitched his voice lower and edged closer to her, moving slow, like he would with a frightened animal.

She bowed her head. “He was an alcoholic.” Pain slashed her whisper. “He wasn’t a bad man. Just flawed.” She looked up into Carver’s eyes, a bold challenge in hers.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Livia. You deserved better. And your sister too.”

Her nostrils flared as she drew a breath. “My parents had an unhappy marriage. Women were constantly throwing themselves at my father to get alcohol, and well, my mom couldn’t handle it. She took off.”

“Leaving you to take care of your sister, am I right?”

Her delicate throat worked in a swallow. “I have authority over everything in Badlands.”

He nodded. “I understand it’s hard to relinquish control, Livvie.”

She sucked in a breath at his use of her shortened name.

He reached out and touched her arm. She lowered it, dropping her shield, and he folded his fingers around hers.

“I experienced the same when I left my squadron. I was used to giving the orders, keeping tabs on my men. When I didn’t have that anymore, I realized how much a part of me it is. How much I missed the brothers I fought with.”

She searched his eyes, the blue depths softening and losing the hard glint she typically looked at him with.

All of a sudden, she yanked her hand out of his grasp. She looked around for an escape, but he stood in the way of the only exit.

She hitched herself onto the bar, but before she could spin around and jump off the other side, he stepped between her legs.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Laying down the rules.”

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