“I think you like this, bitch.” He drew back a hand and slapped her hard against the cheek.
Her skin stung, but this was going exactly how she wanted it to which meant she still held control. “I like men who can actually hit, bitch!”
This time he slammed his fist into her face. She fell to her knees, but he still had his fingers entwined in her hair. Stars floated in front of her eyes and she felt woozy, but she forced the awkward sensations aside. It was now or never. His guard was down for a very small second of time. Clenching her hand into a tight fist, she rammed him in his stomach, then followed with another strike to his crotch.
He bent over, moaning. She stood, separating her hair from his grasp. He was still leaned over, gasping for air.
“This is for Ranger.” Remembering what she’d been taught, she brought her knee up and planted it in his face. He fell back, but he recovered fast. He gripped her throat and she couldn’t breathe. He was so angry that he was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.
Feeling her body weaken, she brought her hands up and pressed his eyeballs until his grip loosened and she dropped from his clutch. She crawled to the door, almost to the threshold, but he was faster. He had her hair in his grip again, dragging her back. A scream filtered the room and she realized it was her. If she allowed herself to fall victim, he would kill her. Her only choice was to fight until she didn’t have a breath left in her.
Swinging her fist back, she connected with his nose. But it wasn’t enough. He was stronger than he looked and had a good hold on her.
She fought, undulating her arms, trying to make it hard to hold her.
Shane was back. He saw the scene before him and lifted his gun, aiming it straight for her chest. A loud bang echoed off the walls. She screamed, thinking she was shot, but a drip of blood appeared in the center of Shane’s white shirt, his eyes dulled and he fell forward with a dead thud.
Steam was in the room with his gun held mid-air. Their gazes connected and she’d never been happier to see anyone in her life.
She felt a tug and realized King was reaching for something.
Shane’s knife that had fallen out of his pocket.
Lauren tried to pull away, but the knife was against her throat.
“How about I take care of the other cheek,” King muttered in her ear.
*
“Put the knife down!” Steam demanded, his gun held on King. There were blood drops on Lauren’s face but she looked okay.
“So, you do care for her. Then you’ll listen. I’m leaving and you try and stop me and I’ll slice her throat, and you can watch her die,” King slurred.
“Don’t hurt her.” Steam’s chin was up and his eyes were focused.
“Lay your weapon on the floor and kick it.”
“Fine.” He slowly lowered his weapon and placed it on the floor, then gave it a kick. “I have the drive. Do you still want it?”
Tears slid down Lauren’s cheeks. The knife had nicked her skin and she was bleeding. Steam reminded himself to stay focused. This wasn’t over until she was secure.
“It’s not going to be worth much for me now.” King took a step back.
“You’ll get out of this unscathed. But not if I hand this over to the Feds.” He started to reach for his pocket.
“Don’t move!” His jaw tightened. Lauren squirmed. Fear filled her eyes.
“I’m only getting the drive.” Steam held up his hands.
Seconds passed. King appeared like he’d lost his mind. Finally, he said, “Reach for it very slowly. Remember, one wrong move and I’ll slit her throat.”
Steam held Lauren’s gaze for three heartbeats, hoping she understood that he would get her out alive even if it meant he’d pay for it with his own. Reaching into his pocket, he grasped the item, folding his hand over the object and held it out.
King’s face was beet red, his mouth twisted. “Put it on the floor and pass it to me.”
That couldn’t happen.
Steam tossed the object high in the air. King lowered the knife a few inches as he attempted to catch what he thought was the drive. Steam pulled the gun he’d hidden in his waist and shot King.
The man dropped back, his hand came open and the charging adapter Steam had tossed him was laying in King’s motionless palm.
Chapter 20
“Will Jane be okay?” Two days had passed since the incident at the hospital. King was dead, as well as his thugs.
“She’s with Carol’s sister. She’ll be fine,” Steam answered.
Lauren was sitting next to him on the couch in her house and she cuddled closer, loving the feeling of being near him. There was no place she’d rather be. “I’m so happy that she’ll be safe. And what about Damon? Is he recovering from the bullet wound?”
“The man’s tough as rocks. He’s probably up and moving around by now. Today, while I visited him, he was giving the nurses a hard time.”
“When you see him again, please say thank you from me. He helped save my life.” He kissed the top of her head and she brought her face up, looking at him. “And thank you.”
He left a quick kiss on her lips. “I’m so damn tired. I think I could sleep for a week.”
She touched his cheek, whiskers scraping her skin. “Then by all means, I’ll let you sleep.”
“Only if you’re next to me.” He wrapped his arms tighter around her.
“What will happen to Selma?” Thankfully, King didn’t kill her.
Steam shrugged. “The prosecutor will charge her. She knew about King’s illegal dealings and that he hired the men to kill you.”
“I can’t believe she allowed him to draw her into such a bad lifestyle. That’s not the Selma I knew.” She played with a thread on his shirt.
“People change.”
“Can they really change though?”
“I believe so.”
Looking up at him through the veil of her lashes, she said, “Good. Because we’ll have to make some changes now that we’re going to have a baby.”
Several seconds passed and he shifted, staring down at her with a confused expression. “What?”
She pushed herself to a sitting position. “While I was at the hospital being checked out they did a routine pregnancy test before they took the X-rays on my arm to see if there was a fracture. It came back positive.”
“How? I mean, I know how, but…”
“We shouldn’t be too surprised. We weren’t so good about preventing this from happening.”
He stood and pulled her up with him. Wrapping his arms around her waist. She laid her cheek on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. “I love you, Lauren. I never stopped.”
Lifting her gaze, she said, “I love you.”
Not the end but only the beginning.
From the author:
Thank you for reading. Please leave a review and let others know your thoughts.
Check out the entire selection of books by me… http://www.amazon.com/Rhonda-Lee-Carver/e/B00CQLXKTO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1456497552&sr=1-2-ent
Hugs,
Rhonda Lee Carver
At an early age, Rhonda fell in love with romance novels, knowing one day she’d write her own love story. Life took a short detour, but when the story ideas were no longer contained, she decided to dive in and write. Her first plot was on a dirty napkin she found buried in her car. Eventually, she ran out of napkins. With baby on one hip and laptop on the other, she made a dream into reality—one word at a time.
Her specialty is men who love to get their hands dirty and women who are smart, strong and flawed. She loves writing about the everyday hero.
When Rhonda isn't crafting sizzling manuscripts, you will find her busy editing novels, blogging, juggling kids and animals (too many to name), dreaming of a beach house and keeping romance alive. Oh, and drinking lots of coffee to keep up with her hero and heroine.
For other titles by Rhonda Lee Carver, please visit: www.rhondaleecarver.com.
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ind me on Facebook, too! www.facebook.com/rhondalee.carver
Other books by Rhonda Lee Carver
HERE are a few of her books…
Diamond in a Rose
Double Dare
Delaney’s Sunrise
Second Chance Cowboy (Book 1, Second Chance Series)
Second Ride Cowboy (Book 2, Second Chance Series)
Second Round Cowboy (Book 3, Second Chance Series)
Second Dance Cowboy (Book 4, Second Chance Series)
Second Song Cowboy (Book 5, Second Chance Series)
Second Burn Cowboy (Book 6, Second Chance Series)
Second Hope Cowboy (Book 7, Second Chance Series)
Second Sunrise Cowboy (Book 8, Second Chance Cowboy Series)
Castle’s Fortress
Dreaming Ivy
Friends With Benefits
Sin With Cuffs
With Honor
Wicked Pleasures (Book 1, Wicked Wolves Series)
Wicked Lust (Book 2, Wicked Wolves Series)
Fighting Flames
UNDER PRESSURE (Book 1, Rhinestone Cowgirls)
PRESSURE RISING (Book 2, Rhinestone Cowgirls)
PRESSURE POINT (Book 3, Rhinestone Cowgirls)
SECRET PRESSURE (Book 4, Rhinestone Cowgirls)
RESISTING PRESSURE (Book 5, Rhinestone Cowgirls)
Under the Mistletoe
Cowboy Paradise (Cowboys of Nirvana)
Ropin’ Trouble (Book 2, Cowboys of Nirvana)
Smoke. Fire. Cowboy (Book 3, Cowboys of Nirvana)
Kissed, Spurred, & Valentined (Book 4, Cowboys of Nirvana)
Leather for Two, Wings of Steel MC
An Unexpected Hero (Buttermilk Valley)
A New Year’s Cowboy (Ring In A Cowboy Boxed Set)
Pride & Pleasure (Book 1, The KNIGHT Brothers)
Have you read The Cowboy’s Son (Book 2, Tarnation, Texas)? Here’s a bonus excerpt…
Want to buy it? Click here… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S15KPXF
CHAPTER 1
“HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOOOO!” the announcer crooned from the stage. “Look at all those beauties out there. Do we have any single ladies in’da house?”
The crowd responded with hoots and hollers.
All except for Lexi Lock who looked up from her phone just as a side door opened and a whistle was blown. A uniformed officer entered, tapping his club ominously against his palm, swiping his gaze from left to right. His hat was situated low on his forehead, his gaze hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses, and his wide jaw set in a slight tilt. The only sound in the quiet room came from a squirming woman sitting two tables over who looked like she wanted to jump out of her flip flops.
“Excuse me, ladies. I received a call about a disturbance at this location. I hear I have some naughty queens who need handcuffed!”
Music burst from the corner speakers as neon lights flashed through the room. The officer widened his stance then seductively rolled his lean hips. The crowd erupted into cheers as the dancer pulled off his hat and swayed his way to Lexi who was gripping her phone.
She whimpered as he gyrated in her face.
Feeling her face warm, she leaned as far back as the chair would allow which wasn’t quite far enough.
He situated his hat on her head as his playful smile reached from pierced ear-to-ear. From around the table her friends laughed and whistled.
In one swift snap of his wrists, he removed the shirt and swung it rope-style above his head before he gave it a toss across the room. The roof raised with hollers and screams, and Lexi stared in disbelief at slick toned abs and a navel ring. There wasn’t one hair on his chest, and she wondered if he waxed.
The ‘officer’ turned and bounced his bottom, doing a pretty decent twerk before he jerked his pants off with the ripping sound of Velcro. They disappeared too as he rotated his firm butt in her face.
“Touch it! Touch it!” women yelled.
She touched him with the tip of her finger, feeling his tight muscle clench. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body.
“That’s not the way to do it.” Chloe, Lexi’s best friend, jumped up from her chair and smacked his bottom lightly, getting a round of applause.
Finally, he danced his way to the next table where a woman rushed to push a dollar bill inside the waist of his red, white and blue thong.
Turning to chastise her friends for bringing her to a strip show, Chloe pointed at something over Lexi’s shoulder. She twisted and stared into a hose. Standing, or rather thrusting, behind her was a firefighter. “I’m here to put out your fire, ma’am.”
Lexi gawked in disbelief. He was swinging the hose like a rope.
“Whoa. He’s good with his hose!” someone said.
The firefighter grabbed the officer’s hat from Lexi’s head and gave it a pitch, then in one smooth, frisky move he took off his own hat and tossed it too. He snapped his red suspenders against his tanned chest and oiled six-pack abs. Hoop rings twinkled from his flat nipples and he pumped the hose, pretending to squirt her.
“Do a lap dance for the birthday girl!”
Barely registering that it was her sister screaming, the dancer lifted his hands behind his head and swirled his hips in front of Lexi. He leaned forward, caging her between his large guns, his slick body hovering within inches of her face. Admittedly, he was handsome, and his buff arms told her he worked out…a lot.
She turned her cheek, giving her sister a narrowed eye of warning, but Mr. Firefighter twisted her chair, propped his barefoot on her knee, and in her direct line of vision was the man’s substantial junk. Where did his pants go? He energetically whirled his hips to the beat of the song until he removed her phone from her grip and set it aside. He cupped both her hands between his larger ones, holding them gently. “Come with me,” he whispered next to her ear.
Shaking her head, she stayed glued to her seat. Sweat beaded between her breasts and her stomach turned. As handsome as he was, she didn’t want to go anywhere with him. “Sorry. I don’t dance. I injured myself doing a hip thrust in yoga once...”
Mr. Firefighter smiled.
“Go with him,” Chloe urged.
Lexi glared at her friend, but it didn’t deter her or Anita from heckling until Lexi finally conceded and let the man in the striped thong lead her to a chair in the center of the stage.
Sitting down, she fixed her birthday sash and tiara, seeing her friend and sister waving fanatically from the table. Chloe made an R-rated gesture with her hands and mouthed, “Squeeze his bottom.”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “No!” she mouthed back, biting back a chuckle. That morning she had no idea she’d be celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday at a bar filled with men in itty-bitty thongs and massive muscles. This was probably a woman’s fantasy, slippery bodies begging to be touched. Truth was, she appreciated the male body just like the next, but she’d never been to a strip show. Not once. She felt like a fish out of water compared to the other women at the tables who seemed to be enjoying stuffing bills into waist bands and slapping tight bottoms.
The buff firefighter was exchanged for a bigger, slicker man who was dressed as a construction worker. His ripped jeans had more holes than material, but the large one located at his crotch exposed the reason why the word “Giant” was written on the front of his plastic hardhat. His body was covered in tattoos and each time he flexed his bicep it looked like Virgin Mary was winking. “I won’t bite, not hard,” he rasped. She planted her shaky palms on her jeaned thighs, breathing in the rich concoction of man, sweat, and whiskey. She could certainly have used a shot at that moment.
The construction worker edged closer and reached for her hands, planting them on his firm behind. Someone in the crowd yelled, “Pinch those cheeks!” Lexi’s face was now scorching and the muscles in the dancer’s bottom tightened as he pumped his hips provocatively.
When he finally took a short step back, he rolled his finger, motioning for her to stand, but instead she melted back into
the flimsy plastic chair.
He easily lifted her to her feet and brought his hands to the back of his head, swirling his hips like he was mixing a sinful cocktail. He turned, rubbing his bottom against her thighs. She had to give it to him, the man was built, and a good dancer.
Lexi noticed that someone was waving at her from beside the stage. The strobe lights swept across the shadowed space. “Prudie? When did you get here?” Seeing her aunt made Lexi feel a sense of comfort, even with a large package stuck in her face.
She waved a couple of bills and said something that was lost in the music.
“What?” Lexi yelled.
Prudie, a mid-forties schoolteacher with closely cut hair and bright red lipstick that she wore all the time, stepped up the stairs to the stage. She smiled nervously, apologized to the dancer and stuck a bill in his waist. She handed Lexi a stack of dollar bills. “Use these.”
“No.” Lexi looked from Prudie to the dancer’s rotating hips and back to her friend.
“Put them in his jeans, silly!” She was now laughing as she left the stage.
With one finger, Lexi shoved the bills under the waist of his jeans and the dancer helped her off stage, then stirred on to torture another patron with his energetic moves.
“Whose idea was it to have my birthday celebration here?” She looked at each of the ladies accusingly when she arrived back at the table. They were laughing like they’d just witnessed a comedy show and Lexi was the butt of the joke. She didn’t find this funny, not even a little.
Anita and Prudie pointed their fingers at Chloe who was still laughing and gave a flip of her long blonde hair over one shoulder. “Ladies, you can’t tell me this isn’t hot. Did you see the firefighter’s muscles? I would have loved to touch his hose.”
“I think the temperature is rising.” Anita fanned her face with a napkin. “How about another round, bitches?” She stood, dragging the hem of her tight, sequined dress down her slender thighs, which gained the attention of one of the dancers who whistled in appreciation. She winked at the man and blew a kiss, which didn’t shock Lexi at all. Growing up Anita had always been the life of the party, flirting with the boys who sucked it up like honey.
Secured by the Lawman (Mountain Force Book 2) Page 17