Page 10 of Rush of Insanity

She glared at them in turn. “Fuck you.” She pointed at Tank, who only last year had been a close friend. “Fuck you.” She stabbed a finger at the guard beside him. “Fuck you.” She pointed at the man who had manhandled her and jolted her hand for extra measure. “And especially—” she turned to Judd, “—fuck you.”

His nostrils flared and those soulful eyes gleamed with wicked intent. He lunged forward, gripping her upper arms and stealing the breath from her lips with his mouth. He kissed her, hard, with punishing pressure and vicious flicks of his tongue. It was devastating. Mortifying. Destructive.

It was perfect.

She shoved at his chest, hating his flawless lips and flawless taste and the flawless way he made her fall for him all over again in the space of minutes.

“Get movin’, Harper,” Tank muttered behind her. “You know you can’t win this time.”

She increased her glare, giving Judd a much more potentfuck youthrough the silence. “So you’re kidnapping me?” Her voice was foreign, slightly panicked. “You’ve gotta be kidding, right?” She smiled through the delirium, laughed, then felt the elation flee as Judd’s stance remained adamant.

“You wanted somewhere private. So let’s go.” He jerked his head toward the end of the hall and on cue his thugs encroached, demanding compliance without a word.

“I hate you.” She hated his gorgeousness, hated his passion, she even hated the way he made her want love when she knew their relationship was too complicated to withstand it.

“I know. I see that now.” The corner of his lips curled in a somber smile. “But until I change your mind, you’re staying with me.”

“Oh, wow.” Her eyes widened. “So this is a lifetime commitment to hold me hostage?”

He shrugged. “If it needs to be.” He swung a hand and slapped her ass. “Now get moving.”

She ground her teeth through another curse and started down the hall, Judd to her left, Tank to her right; and the two twits trailing at the rear.

They remained silent through the empty backstage halls, not a whisper, not a word, until she was in the private underground parking lot, staring up at Judd’s familiar tour bus. It looked like the same one from last year, only the signage along the outside was different.

“After you, princess.” He placed a hand on the low of her back, cementing her fate.

She took the first step forward, toward the open bus door and the stairs leading to her doom. She could feel desire welcoming her home, along with the powerlessness that came with it.Thiswas why she dreaded coming tonight. She was weak to temptation, her feet moving of their own accord.

She climbed the stairs, entering familiar territory. She’d had sex on every inch of this bus. Even the tiny bathroom, the aisle, and the unstable dining table that still stood to her left, surrounded by a booth of seats.

“Welcome home,” she muttered.

Tank came up behind her and slid into the driver’s seat. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Easier said than done.”

Judd remained outside, speaking in a hushed tone to the guard who had left his imprint on her wrist. There was no anger or dramatics. From her viewpoint, it appeared to be a casual conversation. The guard was the one who showed the direction of the discussion. His shoulders were slumped, his expression defeated. Then without a movement of his lips, he walked away and Judd swung around, meeting her gaze as he took the first step onto the bus.

“Did you fire him?”

He continued climbing. “Did you want me to?”

Damn him. He knew how her knees caved at the concept of chivalry. “Forget it.”

“Forgotten.” He flashed his teeth at her in victory.

“Where are we headed?” Tank asked, revving the engine to life.

The floor vibrated beneath her, precisely the last thing she needed when she was already being white-washed with estrogen.

“Head out of town.” Judd’s confident gaze chilled her blood. “Find a deserted street where we’re not going to be interrupted.”

A sardonic laugh bubbled from her throat. Somewhere dark and desolate so he could tear your defenses limb from limb, she thought.

“You know, I could have you arrested for this.” Slight exaggeration on her part. She had her cell in her back pocket and a keycard in the front. Escape was only a phone call away. If only she could bring herself to leave him again.

He shrugged and started for her as the bus began to creep forward. “I’ll risk it.”

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