Page 5 of Secret Obsession

“Nope.” She poked me in the chest. “I’m the only volunteer on Saturday mornings until 10 a.m. when the next shift starts, and that’s still three hours away. Try again.”

I wasn’t used to being challenged head-on by anyone except my father, who was an even bigger and more atrocious monster than I was.

Normally, my glare was enough to shut people into submission. Even Simone had the good sense to be intimidated by me. Sure, she hid it well and didn’t back down, but that unease was naturally there as it invariably was when someone came face to face with me.

I gently grabbed Lila’s wrist. “Stop poking me.”Before I scoop you up in my arms for a kiss.

Why the hell was I so horny this morning? Must be the adrenaline rush from last night. Nothing better than a good fuck with a beautiful woman after pounding the shit out of an enemy.

Her breath hitched at the contact. At first, I thought her instincts had finally kicked in, registering the threat standing in front of her. But then her cheeks flushed pink with heat.

Maybe she did have a thing for danger, after all. She didn’t look the type, though.

My own breath would have also hitched at the contact. The softness of her skin made me want to explore more of her. But my fingers didn’t roam. And my breathing stayed steady, thanks to the years of practice I’d had at keeping my biorhythms controlled. Couldn’t have any tells like a pulsing heart rate or uneven breaths giving me away while dealing with the type of people I dealt with.

I may have been able to control most of my reactions, but not my internal temperature, which was spiking. My body wanted her. And my sleep-deprived brain lost control. My usual mastery of discipline was slipping away. “Go take care of the cats,” I growled. “I’ve got the dog kennel.”

She yanked her arm out of my grip. “No. This is my section and my usual time slot. You go to the cats. Or better yet”—mischief glinted in her eyes—“there’s a new snake in the amphibian wing. I think you’ll fit in there quite nicely.” Her voice was a playful melody, full of teasing.

Didn’t she know she was poking a vicious dragon? Women who worked in animal rescue were of a different breed, that was for sure. They were fearless. Or maybe it wasn’t bravery but stupidity, a delusion into thinking there was no threat from the big, scary beast snarling at them.

Well, I wasn’t a beast, but I sure as hell was scary. The criminal underworld I lived in was terrifying, and I was one of the most savage crime bosses in it.

I should walk away. Skip out on my shift. Go home and get some sleep. Get far,faarrraway from the woman who looked more and more beautiful with each passing minute.

Her eyes seemed to be searching, or analyzing, as she watched me. Almost like she could see much deeper than what was on the surface.

Without waiting for my answer, she tugged lightly on Rambo’s leash. “Come on, handsome, let’s get you in your cage so I can feed you.”

Rambo happily trotted beside her and into the cage that had been his home for the past two months. I didn’t blame him. This woman had a way of making you want to follow her anywhere, even if it was a cold cement slab barely big enough to lie down in.

Lila bent over and kissed his snout while she scratched behind his ear.

I averted my eyes to keep myself from staring at her ass, but I lost that battle.

So what if I looked? She wouldn’t know, with her back to me. It astonished me how trusting people were, to turn their backs on someone. Trust the wrong person in my world for half a second, and you were dead.

Rambo leaned into Lila for one last hug, sending a pang of jealousy through me. Was I jealous that Rambo liked her? Or that he was the one getting the hug?

Don’t be an idiot, Hawk. You can’t have either of them.

Oh, the things I would do to her body if I could have one night with her. But that would be too risky because I never liked the women I wanted to fuck.

But I liked this one. I enjoyed the way her lips quirked, making her look like she had a permanent sweet smile, even when she scowled. I admired her gentleness while dealing with Rambo. And at the opposite end of that, I reveled in her bravery. She had enough courage to stand up to me, and that was saying something. I loved the way her face lit up when she thought Rambo might be adopted. This chick had a heart bigger than her ass. And speaking of her ass. I really, really liked that too.

I shook my head. Nope. I never fucked anyone I actually liked.

Before Lila had a chance to come out of the cage, I stormed out of the dog kennel.

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