Passing His Guard

He grunted in acknowledgment, but when she turned to leave, he called after her. “Hey, Rya

She stopped and glanced back at the fighter.

“Don’t let that pretty face fool you. Disco isn’t harmless. Then again, by the looks of that arm, you probably already figured that out. You want some friendly advice? Go back home to wherever you came from and forget you ever met him.”

That was probably some good, sound advice. Unfortunately, she couldn’t take it.

CHAPTER

7

Aiden exited the Lakeview Hospital in Somerset and headed for the parking lot. He chalked up the prickling feeling of being watched to the fact that it was twenty fucking degrees below zero. His goose bumps had goose bumps, for crissake. Why in the hell anyone would voluntarily live in this frozen wasteland was beyond him—and he’d thought New York was cold.

That Easton was actually considering leaving Vegas to move here and freeze his balls off proved either (a) he’d taken one too many shots to the head, or (b) he was so head over heels for Katie, he couldn’t think straight. Considering what those two had been through in the last thirty-six hours, he’d be willing to bet the Kruze fortune it was the latter.

After do

Not only was he craving the desert heat, but Dean Nelson, the president of the CFA, should be a

Yeah, he was definitely antsy to get home, and his restlessness had absolutely nothing to do with a certain redhead he’d tossed from his room two nights ago. More than he was willing to admit, Rya

How far would she have let things go to get what she wanted from him? To what lengths would she have gone, trying to convince him to return with her?—all questions that plagued him, robbing him of sleep. Of all the people his sadistic mother could have hired to track him down . . . Then again, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Madeline Kruze was as manipulative and crafty as they came. Of course she’d try to blindside him, and it had almost worked.

He had to give Rya

He did regret not fucking her before throwing her out, though. Without a doubt, that woman was the sweetest piece of ass he’d ever had his hands on. She’d caught him completely off guard with her confession, and admittedly, he hadn’t reacted well. Not one of his finer moments, that was for sure, and he had seventeen stitches in his bicep to prove it. He didn’t condone violence against women—for any reason—but Aiden was pretty sure Rya

For the countless time today, Aiden shoved the beguiling ginger from his mind as he hopped into the driver’s seat and fired up the rental. He promptly shut off the heater when it began blasting him in the face with freezing air, and muttered a curse as foul as his mood. He had twelve hours to kill before his flight back to Vegas, and Marcus wasn’t coming with him. His brother had suffered a stroke this week and was still in the hospital, so he was staying in Somerset a little while longer.

There wasn’t a lot to do in the small town whose welcome sign proudly displayed the population at 2,656. Aiden preferred big-city lights, crowded bars, and loose women—the no-strings-attached kind that wanted nothing from him other than the satisfaction of a quick bump-and-grind. After the severe case of blue balls Rya

If he left now, he’d be that much closer to the airport to catch his seven a.m. flight. Yeah, that sounded like a grand idea, heading into the city and getting totally shit-faced. He’d hook up with a redheaded honey and fuck Rya

What the hell? He hit the brakes and shifted the Yukon into park. Someone was ru

“Hey, Katie Bug. What’s up?”

“Aiden, I’m glad I caught you.” Her quickened breaths billowed steam into the cold evening air, filling the cab of his SUV. The tip of her pixie nose was already pinched by the cold, her cheeks a becoming rosy red. Fucking Easton, lucky bastard . . . Hell, he’d have taken a bullet for her, too, if it meant earning the doting affection of this woman. Katrina Miller was the whole package—brains, beauty, and hot little body. Not that he was macking on his best friend’s chick or anything, but he’d have to be a blind eunuch not to notice that girl’s swag.

“I know you’re probably anxious to get going, but I was wondering if you would mind taking me back to the house so I could get a change of clothes for Cole. I haven’t been back there since . . . well, you know, and I didn’t really want to go alone. Uncle Marcus is visiting Dad right now, and I didn’t want to bother him.”

Well, so much for his plans to get ridiculously drunk and tap a little Mi

She skirted around to the front of the SUV and climbed into the passenger side. “You sure you don’t mind?” Katie caught her bottom lip between her teeth, casting him an anxious glance.

Aiden put the vehicle in reverse and began backing out. “I’m sure. Besides, we can’t have our boy going home in his underwear, right? A guy’s likely to freeze his balls off here.”

She laughed, some of the tension easing from her slender shoulders as she relaxed against the seat. “He may not admit it, but he’s lucky to have you, Aiden. We both are.”