Page 11 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
He leaned closer, setting a hand on the wall beside my head. “If I wanted to scare you, you’d be scared, kitten.” His gaze coasted from my eyes to my breasts, then back up again. “This is not scared.”
I crossed my arms, my jacket now covering my cleavage. “Well, Whiskey Ridgeisin a rural area. There are bound to be crows flying around. One probably hit a tree. Circle of life or whatever. It’s just a coincidence that you found it on my car.”
“That tree have a gun?”
My breath caught in my lungs. “It was shot?”
He nodded, moving his free hand to my chest, placing it right over my heart. Right near my fucking breast, which was shoved up under my jacket from the way I’d crossed my arms. The touch alone would have lit my core on fire if it hadn’t been for the conversation at hand. “Right here.” He studied me as my lungs remembered to work, my breath coming in short, quiet pants through parted lips. “Scared now, McKenna?”
God, I hated the way he said my name. How much I fucking liked the little rasp in his voice when he did.
I slapped his hand away and it dropped easily. “Wouldn’t you like that?”
His jaw pulsed again before he took a step back and ran a hand over his mouth. All the while, he kept his eyes locked on me.
“Besides,” I said, to break the tension before I melted into a goddamn puddle, “if they do want me dead, going to work will only lure them out. Then you’ll get your moment to shine like you’ve always wanted.”
His hand fell to his side, his gaze shooting daggers at me now as his lips pursed into a thin line. I’d struck a chord. Good.
“Look at me.” I shot him a wide smile and dropped my arms to my sides. “Not so stupid after all.”
His eyes turned to slits. “So brave, kitten. You’re your own hero, aren’t you? Clever, little McKenna.”
That wasdefinitelyhim mocking me.
I gave a subtle shrug, trying my best to ignore his childish dig. “I have to, because no one else will be.” My smile turned menacing because I knew what I was going to say next would get under his skin. “Not even you.”
“You’re right.”
I shoved the shock of his admission away the best I could.
“I’d never be the hero,” he went on, moving his attention to his hand as he rubbed at a callus. “Not when I can be the villain who rips this fucker’s skin off his bones and throws his remains in the fire you started.”
My mouth popped open. “Are you saying you want us to beallies?”
His piercing gaze met mine again, pure lethal intent glazed in them. “You wanted to be bait, kitten.” He waved a hand toward the door. “So go be a good girl and put on a show.”
Chapter 5
Austin
McKenna did as she was told after I’d disposed of the crow and trailed her to work. I was sitting in a booth by the far wall, where I had a perfect view of the entire restaurant and the giant windows looking onto the street. I didn’t drink, eat, or so much as glance at the menu while McKenna strutted that little ass of hers in her tiny skirt. She made it a point to bend over—multiple times—just far enough that the bottom of her cheeks would peek out in my direction. My dick knew exactly what she was doing, and fuck, all I wanted to do was punish her.
For insisting she go to work.
For wanting to act as bait.
For teasing me.
For looking as devastating as she did.
Her tight ponytail bobbed with every step, her breasts nearly spilling over the top of her uniform. She’d left an extra button open today—I knew because I’d taken my fair share of looks many times in the past, you know, when weused to flirt and she didn’t hate my guts—and the sight was fucking distracting.
My attention couldn’t afford to be diverted by her perky fucking tits or her cute little ass right now—not when I had a target to find and rip limb from limb.
But it wasn’t only me she’d garnered interest from.
It was her sleazy fucking boss, too.
