The Rebel Returns: The Return of the Rebel / Her Irresistible Protector / Why Resist a Rebel?. Leah Ashton

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СКАЧАТЬ And she fully intended to make an unforgettable point.

      Her lips moved against his very still mouth. Surely he couldn’t be that surprised. This had started long ago and tonight she wanted to turn her fantasy into reality. So that when they each went their separate ways, she would have this memory to hang on to during those sleepless nights.

      Her hands slid up over his solid chest and his muscled shoulders and wrapped around his neck. Her fingertips slid through his hair. With a moan, he tightened his hold on her, drawing her closer. His lips moved beneath hers. And like a timeless dance their mouths opened and their tongues met. Was it possible that this kiss—that Jax himself—was even better than she ever imagined in her dreams?

      His kiss became frenzied with need. She met him stroke for stroke. His excitement increased her pleasure. Time slipped away. The only thing that mattered now was the man holding her.

      Then as quickly as the kiss had started, it ended. Jax released her and stepped back. His breathing was as rapid as hers but his gaze lowered. He refused to look at her. What was that all about?

      “That shouldn’t have happened.” He raked his fingers through his hair, scattering the short strands.

      This was not the reaction she’d expected. She inwardly groaned. Why should this time be any different? He didn’t want her. The acknowledgment stung.

      “You’re right.” What had she been thinking? “It was my fault. It won’t happen again.”

      She went to turn away when he reached out to her. “Hey, this has nothing to do with you. You’re beautiful. Any man would be crazy to turn you down.”

      “You’re making too much of it.”

      When would she learn to think before acting? Every time she put herself out there, she’d been rejected, first by her ex and then by her very own mother. People couldn’t love her as is. They always wanted her to be more outgoing, more compliant, more something. There was always an area where she fell short in their eyes. She didn’t even know what Jax found lacking in her and she wasn’t about to stick around to ask.

      She sucked down the bruising ache in her chest. It wasn’t as though she still carried a torch for him. The kiss had been nothing more than a passing fancy, not something serious.

      Swallowing hard, she levelled her shoulders and met his gaze. “I have some stuff to do. You can go ahead without me. I’ll call and make sure your blackjack table is ready.” It was then that she realized she didn’t have her phone. “I must have left my phone back at the bungalow.”

      Jax turned as though to walk with her.

      She held up her hand to stop him. “Just go into the casino. I’ll get it.”

      He looked as though he was going to argue but then thought better of it. “Are you sure?”

      “Yes. Go ahead into the casino. You should be all set up at the same table as earlier.”

      “Cleo, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you—”

      She waved away his platitude. “I’m fine. It was a mistake kissing you all those years ago and it was a mistake tonight.”

      His mouth opened but she didn’t wait around to hear anything he had to say. She strode away, completely mortified by the way she’d thrown herself at him. What in the world had gotten into her? She’d like to blame it on a full moon, but there was none. This mortifying disaster was all her fault.

      When she arrived at Jax’s bungalow, she realized her pass card was with the phone locked inside. She expelled a sigh. Just what she needed now was to tell him that she had forgotten not only her phone but the hotel pass card, as well. Could she look any more incompetent this evening?

      The sound of footsteps had her taking a calming breath. A shadow fell over her. She turned, expecting to find Jax, but instead a tall, muscular man dressed in a dark suit stood before her. The stranger was built like a linebacker and under different circumstances this might have intrigued her, but tonight she didn’t want to be bothered.

      Her gaze rose to his face. She was caught off guard by his dark, menacing eyes. “I’m sorry but this is a restricted area. Are you a guest of the hotel?”

      The man’s tanned face creased with an intimidating frown. “I’m looking for someone. A Jax Monroe.”

      She had no idea who this man was or who had pointed him in this direction, but the first rule about being a casino host was abiding by their client’s wishes. And Jax had no wish for anyone to find him here.

      “I can’t help you. Did you try at the front desk?” She knew that they wouldn’t release guest information, but she hoped this man didn’t know that and would go away. “Maybe they can give you some information.”

      “Just tell me where I can find him.”

      An uneasy feeling inched down her spine. Was this the man Jax was avoiding? If so, she fully understood why Jax wouldn’t want anything to do with him. Her mouth grew dry. The guy looked as though he could bench-press a car. And the menacing look in his eyes gave her the creeps.

      Something definitely wasn’t right here. Her palms grew moist. Standing alone with this man was not a good idea. It was time to get moving.

      “I really need to be going. I have people waiting for me.” She started walking, but instead of taking the private path back to the casino, she veered toward the pool, hoping there might still be some stragglers hanging out.

      “Don’t walk away from me. This is important. Just tell me where to find him and there won’t be any trouble.”

      She didn’t need to hear any more. She walked faster. The man easily kept pace.

      The hairs on the back of her neck lifted. When she reached the pool area, luckily some young people were still milling about. Not that they were paying her any attention. Still, whatever this man meant by his threat, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to try something with so many witnesses... Would he?

      She got as far as the first line of lounge chairs when his meaty fingers reached out and clamped around her upper arm, halting her progress. She jerked her arm, but his grip was like a vice. Her heart jumped, lodging in her throat.

      He pulled her to him. Her back pressed to his chest and he wrapped his hand over her mouth. “I want you to give Jax a message—”

      Cleo bit down on the man’s finger.

      A curse thundered in her ears. He yanked his hand away. Never taking her eyes off him, she backed up. He lunged for her. In the ensuing struggle, her foot got caught in a lounge chair. She lost her balance and fell backward, hitting the concrete.

       CHAPTER SIX

      “OPEN YOUR EYES.”

      Jax stared down at Cleo’s pale, lifeless form on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. His chest tightened as he said a silent prayer to the big guy upstairs. She just had to be all right. She had to be.

      His thumb stroked the soft skin of her limp hand. He had no idea СКАЧАТЬ