Home > No Escape From War (Trouble for Hire #1)(5)

No Escape From War (Trouble for Hire #1)(5)
Author: Cynthia Eden

She licked her lips. Her delectable, bow-shaped, ever so bitable lips. Lips that felt like heaven against his. Lips that still made their way into his dreams. She made her way into his dreams on far too many nights. With the tumble of dark hair that skimmed her shoulders, her emerald eyes—a gorgeous green that normally sparkled with her emotions—and her smooth, creamy skin, she was a stunner. He’d been hooked on her long before they met in person. Embarrassing to admit, but he’d always tuned in for the nightly news just so he could watch her. A fucking crush. Then she’d walked into his bar…

And he’d been a goner. Two days after meeting her in person, he’d had her in his bed. He’d planned to keep her there.

But that shit hadn’t happened.

Now she was staring at him with her eyes all stark and scared, her lower lip was trembling, and if he didn’t know better… “I’m not the freaking wolf.”

Her eyes became even bigger.

“Stop looking at me like I’m going to bite you,” he growled. Okay. Growling probably wasn’t the way to reassure her, and he had nibbled on her in the past, but those had been sensual, heat-of-the-moment-type bites.

“I’m looking at you like you’re the crazy guy who just threatened to cuff me!”

“Oh, come on.” The words burst from him. “Like I haven’t cuffed you before.”

Heat immediately stained her cheeks. “That was different. And it was one time.”

It had been one hot as hell time. He wasn’t going to point out that she’d enjoyed that particular instance of being cuffed…because he knew she wasn’t going to have fun tonight. “It’s just temporary. I’ll slap a cuff on your wrist, then one on mine. It’s to make sure you don’t try to ditch me again.”

“I assure you, I will try to ditch you.”

He grunted. “I figured as much.” The cuffs felt cold in his grip. Why the hell hadn’t he slapped one on her yet? What was he waiting for? “Once we’re at the police station, I’ll take it off.”

“I can’t go to the police station.”

“You’re a person of interest in a murder investigation.” His head cocked to the left.

Her eyes narrowed on him.

“Two murders, actually,” he clarified. “So, yes, you will be going to the police station.”

“You don’t believe I killed anyone, do you?”

“I think you need to talk to the cops.” He reached for her hand. Time to cuff her.

“Don’t.” Breathy. Desperate.

He’d rarely seen Rose be desperate. Come to think of it, this might be the first time he’d ever heard that particular note in her voice.

“You don’t get what’s at play here, War.”

“Sure I do. Twenty grand is at play.”

“What?”

“Twenty. Grand.” A nod. “That’s how much Dylan is paying me to bring you in. Remember Dylan? Oh, I am sure you—”

“Don’t be an ass. We both know I remember my producer. But why is he paying you anything?”

“Because he is worried about you.” Instead of snapping the cuff around her delicate wrist, his hand lifted, and the back of his knuckles slid over her silken cheek. “Another dumbass who got obsessed with you.”

“You were never obsessed with me.”

His hand fell. “Of course not.”

“Dylan isn’t, either. He knows nothing will happen between us. I’ve made it abundantly clear—as I told you at Finch’s.” Her breath huffed out. “Why on earth would he go to you if he was worried about me? He is aware that you and I are no longer together.”

“Right. Not together. Not at all.” She smelled delicious. Like some kind of fancy cream that he wanted to lap up. “But you must have been singing my praises at the station because he said you told him I was the best PI in town. That I could find anyone.” He wiggled his brows at her. “Not that you were wrong. Case in point, I found you.”

“You are being a dick. This is serious, War!”

“I don’t remember laughing.” Certainly not when she’d shoved him in the stinking pile of garbage. Which reminded him…she smelled delicious, and he probably smelled like shit. No wonder she kept huffing and twitching that cute little button nose of hers. “Your producer wants you brought in—he wants it to look like you’re willing and cooperating with the cops.”

“Right. Because being brought to the station in handcuffs just screams cooperation.”

He shrugged. He still hadn’t put them on her. He also still had his body way too close to hers. “You shouldn’t have run.” That part he just didn’t get. “I’m not talking about running from me at the restaurant, though you shouldn’t have done that, either. But you shouldn’t have run from the crime scenes.” No, he didn’t believe she was a killer. Those vics had been strangled, and he could not imagine Rose doing that to another person. “You should have cleared things up, you should have—”

“You have no idea what is happening.” Her words rushed out. “I had to run. I had to hide. If I hadn’t, I’d be dead.”

For a stunned moment, War didn’t move. Not so much as a muscle or flicker of an eyelid.

“Did you hear me?” Impatience sharpened her voice. “Or do you just not care?”

War shook his head. “Playing your games, are you? Nice try, but it won’t work. You won’t get killed at the police station. You won’t—”

“I’m tracking a serial killer. It started out as the biggest case of my career, but it has spiraled into something altogether different. I’m tracking him, but he’s tracking me, too. If he finds me, I am dead.”

“That’s not fucking going to happen.” An immediate denial. He shoved back his shoulders.

And just like that…hope flashed on her face.

Shit. She played me. She—

“It won’t happen if you help me,” Rose said excitedly. “You and your special ops skills—I need them. I mean, I need you. You can help me.”

He slapped the cuff around her wrist.

“Wait! Stop! What are you doing?”

He thought it was obvious. He tugged her across the room. Toward the bathroom. He tested the towel bar. Found it surprisingly secure. Satisfied that it would hold her, War snapped the second cuff around that bar.

“You said you’d cuff me to you! Not to the bathroom!” Rose wailed.

“Shh.” He put one finger to his lips. “You don’t want our nosey next door neighbor coming in.”

Once more, her cheeks were flushed a dark red. “I ask for your help, and in return, you cuff me in the bathroom? The breakup was bad, War, but was it this bad?”

He wasn’t touching that one. “I’m going to my car. I have a change of clothes in there. Since someone pushed me into a pile of garbage, I smell to high heaven. I’ll get the clothes, then shower—”

“What? Are you planning to shower with me cuffed in here?”

He winked. “Not like it isn’t something you haven’t seen before.”

“War.”

Hot Books
» House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
» A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
» From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1)
» A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime
» Deviant King (Royal Elite #1)
» Den of Vipers
» House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)
» The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #
» Sweet Temptation
» The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1)
» Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6)
» Wreck & Ruin
» Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2)
» Twisted Hate (Twisted #3)
» The Play (Briar U Book 3)