Page 17 of Time to Bounce

I loved even more the way I felt when those eyes were focused on me.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked.

She licked her lips before saying, “Whatever you need me to do without blowing your cover.”

My hand trailed down the length of her side, fingers grazing skin a whole lot faster than should’ve been possible.

“Close your eyes, honey,” I said when I saw her glance frantically around the bar the moment my hand met skin.

All I’m saying is don’t give me a severe thunderstorm warning without delivering.

—Athena’s secret thoughts

ATHENA

My heart was pounding inside my chest.

Had it been anyone else, I would’ve run out of there, my purse gun at my side ready to take out whomever followed me.

But this was Gable.

I wouldn’t blow his cover.

And I wanted him exactly where he was, taking these fuckers out and making it impossible for them to keep abducting women and children.

No, I would do this, even if it was territory I’d never ventured to before.

“Close your eyes, honey,” Gable urged, misinterpreting my glancing around for nervousness rather than anger.

There were quite a few members of the club watching.

I could see the men Gable had been sitting with—yes, I’d clocked the group, but not who sat amongst the men at the table—when I’d come out onto the dance floor.

Both the men sitting at that table were staring at me with gleaming eyes.

The man who’d asked me—and threatened me later—was on a bar stool with a few other men from the club.

There were other people in the bar who were paying attention, but not nearly as many blatantly watching like the club members themselves.

It was like they knew a good show was about to be on display.

“Eyes. On. Me.”

I turned my gaze to him and said, “What?”

“Keep your eyes on mine,” he said, backing me up until my backside hit a bar stool in the corner.

The corner was in the back of the bar, but that didn’t mean the back of the bar had a hidden alcove or anything.

No, you could see even better than in the front of the bar because there was a stage and stage lights. Even though the stage wasn’t currently in use, the lights were still on.

Displaying the stage, and about five feet on either side of the stage.

Where he backed me up against the wall, they’d be able to see everything.

My heart started pounding harder as the realization of what I was about to do hit me.

“Last chance,” he rumbled. “I’ll get you out of here if you’re unsure.”

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