Deadly Allure. Elle James

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СКАЧАТЬ Olie. The marina owners asked him to pick up a loaf of bread on his way through town.

      He smiled and increased his speed, his thoughts on the only grocery in Cape Churn, hoping it was still open. He didn’t mind stopping for the Olanders. They were a nice, older husband and wife who’d taken him in as though he was the son they’d never had. He got a chuckle out of their nicknames. Olie, he understood, was short for Olaf. But how you got Sal out of Gladys was a mystery. But they loved each other and were very special to him.

      Out of the corner of his eye, something moved in the mist. The next thing he knew a speeding motorcyclist burst through the fog, turned sharply in an attempt to avoid hitting him, slammed into the truck and lost control.

      Dave hit his brakes.

      The motorcycle slid in front of the truck and the rider tumbled into the ditch.

      Dave shoved the shift into Park and left the truck in the middle of the intersection, hoping to keep other traffic from running over the cycle or the rider. He dropped down and ran to the ditch.

      A black-clad body lay facedown, groaning in his helmet.

      “Hey, buddy, are you all right?” Dave asked, kneeling and touching a hand to his shoulder.

      In a flash of movement the biker rolled onto his back, grabbed Dave’s wrist, planted a foot in his chest and launched him into the air.

      Performing a perfect head over heels, Dave landed flat on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs.

      The helmeted rider stood over him, a lipstick tube held out in front of him.

      “What the hell?” Dave tried to get up, but the cyclist planted a booted foot on top of his gut.

      Anger surged and, with it, all the combat training he’d acquired while serving in the Army Special Forces.

      His arm shot out, grabbed the ankle of his leather-clad attacker and yanked him off his feet.

      He landed beside Dave on his back, the helmet bouncing off the dirt.

      Dave rolled over and pinned the rider to the ground, arms trapped at his sides. “I should have left you in the ditch,” he grumbled.

      “Then why didn’t you?”

      The voice coming from behind the helmet’s face shield didn’t sound much like a man’s voice, though he was tall and slight. “Damn.”

      With his knees clamping his assailant’s arms against his body, Dave unbuckled the helmet and shoved it up and off.

      Long, straight, silky blond hair spilled out onto the ground and angry blue eyes flashed up at him, sparkling in the beam from his truck’s headlights. He’d been bested by a woman. His buddies back on active duty would have gotten a good laugh out of that.

      Dave glared down at her, recognizing something familiar about her, something to do with her and two of her teammates nabbing a bad guy a couple months’ back right there in Cape Churn.

      “Don’t I know you? Nicole Steele, right? Your friends call you Tazer.” If he remembered correctly, she had the body and face of a runway model.

      “Give the guy a prize. And you’re the fish boy from the Cape Churn Marina. Sorry if I don’t recall your name.” She rocked beneath him, wrinkling her nose, looking not in the least sorry about forgetting his name. She arched her back, pressing her breasts against him. “Get off me.”

      “I will.” He couldn’t help his body’s natural reaction to this beautiful woman’s breasts rubbing against his chest or the way her pelvis rose with each attempt to unseat him. “I’ll let you up as soon as you promise not to throw me again.”

      She seemed to think about it, finally saying, “I promise. Now move.” Her words were strained, tight and insolent.

      To Dave, her whole attitude proved to be more of a red cape flung in the face of a bull.

      Her last visit to Cape Churn she had been aloof, distant to everyone and completely unruffled by the terrorist threatening the small town.

      She’d also given him one brief glance and then treated him as if he were a pesky fly to be shooed away. Her whole attitude had rubbed him the wrong way. He’d blown it off, knowing she wouldn’t be around long. But here she was, back in his town. Lying beneath his body.

      Interesting.

      Now that he knew she wasn’t a threat, he wasn’t as eager to let her go. Especially since he wasn’t entirely sure she’d keep her promise. Dave smiled down into her angry face.

      “I promised,” she reminded him. “You can move.”

      He chuckled. “I don’t know. I’m thinking I need to check you over...for injuries, of course.”

      “I can take care of myself,” she insisted.

      He eased to the side, his hands sliding across her arms. “You could have a broken bone.”

      She slapped his hand away. “I think I could tell if I had a broken bone. I’d feel the pain. And right now the only pain I’m feeling is the pain in my neck. And that’s you.” She shoved him back and tried to stand.

      As soon as she did, her face blanched. She swayed and would have fallen had Dave not risen with her and grabbed her on her way down.

      He scooped her up in his arms. “All kidding aside, you need to see a doctor.”

      “No!” She fought, her feet kicking out. She almost kneed him in the face.

      Dave grunted, struggling to keep his grip. “Really, you took a pretty significant spill. You might have a concussion.”

      “No hospitals, no police... Can’t trust...” Her eyes rolled back and she passed out. From a wiggling, spitting she-cat to a deadweight, she lay in his arms, her body completely limp.

      Great. Now what was he supposed to do with her?

      He loaded her into the passenger seat of his truck and went to stash her motorcycle behind a bush on the side of the road until he could get back to pick it up. First, he had to get Nicole Steele some medical attention. He punched a number on his cell phone and waited.

      “Emma?”

      “Dave, is that you?” Emma’s voice sounded concerned. “Everything okay?”

      “I don’t know. Where are you?”

      “At the Seaside Café with friends. What do you need?”

      “Meet me at my boat at the marina ASAP.”

      “Dave, what’s going on?” she asked.

      “Just meet me there and I’ll explain.” He clicked the phone off, shifted his truck into Drive and hurried to the marina, his safe haven. The one place he felt at home. Hopefully, once Emma got there, she’d talk sense into this woman and get her to see a doctor.

      He glanced down at her still body, sprawled out across the bench СКАЧАТЬ