Page 8 of Tempting the Bounty Hunter

“That you’re not the rightshape?”

“Well, it’s obvious.” She waves a hand to indicate her body. “I could stand to lose thirty pounds. Probably more. Zodiac’s strippers are all super tiny. It’s part of the draw. I wouldn’t have fit in. I had trouble fitting in anywhere, really.”

“Who made you feel like that?” I can’t keep the anger hidden. Not because I’d ever—ever—want a bunch of fuckwads ogling Hannah anywhere in the damn universe but because somehow she got the idea that something about her isn’t “right.”

Which is the biggest load of bullshit in history.

“A lot of people,” she admits. “Kids at school. Boys, sometimes. The popular girls. Gym teachers because I wasn’t naturally athletic. And later, Eddie, of course. Plus the customers. They liked harassing me, but they wanted to make sure I knew my place was serving drinks and not dancing. So when—”

I hit the brakes so hard the SUV jerks to a stop in the middle of the road, throwing us against the seat belts. I clamp my hand around her wrist and pull her forward until our faces are inches apart. My blood burns.

“You listen to me, Hannah,” I snap, low and tense. “You’re fucking perfect. Do you hear me?Perfect.Christ, when I was holding you, I felt like I was in goddamn paradise. I was hard as a rock, and it was all I could do to let you go. You’ve got the body of a goddess. You deserve to be worshipped. Ifanyoneever again harasses or touches you or makes you feel like you’re somehowless, I swear to God I will fucking kill them for you.”

She stares at me, her eyes wide and mouth open. Her pulse races under my fingers.

“If I’d known…” I shake my head, tightening my grip on her wrist. “It makes me crazy to think of anyone hurting you, and I can’t stand the thought of you in that shithole. Whatever happens, you’re not going back. I won’t let you.”

Her throat ripples with a swallow. “You’re turning me over to the police as soon as we’re back in San Francisco, remember? You don’t have a say in what I do or don’t do. And when I’m in jail again, neither will I.”

Darkness swamps my chest. I force my fingers to unclench her wrist. Losing contact with her body heat ices my insides.

She pulls her arm back and folds it around her middle, jerking her chin at the road. “Better keep going before another car comes along.”

My muscles are tense enough to break. I shove the car into gear and accelerate. The tires squeal.

I’m in trouble.

I knew it the instant I locked my arms around her—hell, when I first saw her photo—but now the truth hits me like a blow.

How the fuck am I going to turn her over to the authorities and walk away?

ChapterFive

Dane

I keepmy focus on the black road illuminated by the headlights. My grip is so tight on the wheel my knuckles hurt. Hannah is silent, but I sense her presence the way you feel the sun’s heat even when you can’t see it.

“You hungry?” I finally ask.

“No.”

Her stomach growls—loud enough to be heard over the sound of the car. She makes a noise of irritation.

I can’t help grinning at her. “When was the last time you ate?”

“I had a granola bar a few hours ago.”

“Real food.”

She shrugs. I turn onto the narrow, two-lane road curving through the mountain and head south. About ten miles out, we pass a roadside diner with a neon Open sign flashing in the window. A few cars and trucks are parked in the lot.

I pull in and stop the car. “Come on.”

She unbuckles her seat belt. “You’re paying for my food? Wait a minute. That wasn’t a question. You’re paying for my food.”

“Yes, I am.” Amused, I step out of the car. “And anything else you need or want.”

After grabbing her backpack, she follows me to the diner. I pull open the door and step aside to let her precede me. The place is a quarter full—plastic booths and a long counter where truckers and travelers are eating.

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