Rebecca Zanetti - Sweet Revenge

Okay. He may have poured on the charm with the two women he needed to investigate, but he’d been trained in subtlety and covert action. “Why are you suddenly interested in what’s in my pants?”

Laney’s gasp heated him in all sorts of places. “If I have to tell you again to knock it off, you’re fired.”

The little spitfire had better be careful who she threatened. “So you want me unavailable to those women?”

Satisfaction filled her pretty face. “Exactly.”

“Okay.” He grasped her hip and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was hard, quick, and enough of a taste to make him crave more. He lifted away to gauge the shock on her face. “There. Now they think I’m taken.”

The air vibrated as her hand closed into a fist, and he shook his head. “You don’t want to hit me.”

“Why not?” she ground out.

For the first time, he let his mask slip so she could see the predator the government had created. “The second you make contact, I’ll have you on that bar, held tight, my cock pressed between your legs, my lips on yours until you beg for more. Even fully clothed, I may make you come—and I won’t care who’s watching.”

Her sexy mouth dropped open. Surprise and fury lit her eyes… along with desire. She tried to mask it, but he was an expert at reading people, and the woman was intrigued. “You egomaniac. I’m not remotely interested,” she whispered.

Surprising anger shot through him. “You want to threaten me? That’s fine. Challenge me? No problem.” He stepped even closer and into her space. “But don’t you ever lie to me. Ever, Laney.”

She pressed her hands against her hips, confusion blanketing her features. “We just met.”

The woman was correct. He had no right to demand a damn thing from her. For all she knew, he was a bad guy. But this once and with this woman, against all rational training and thought, he truly didn’t give a shit. He didn’t understand it, sure as hell couldn’t explain it. So he went with his gut. “Yeah, we did just meet. Those are the ground rules. Period.” He lowered his chin and waited for her to challenge him, anticipation lighting his veins.

Those are the ground rules? Oh no he hadn’t. Laney scrubbed the table clean in the quiet bar after the luncheon, her mind spinning, her legs wobbling. After her employee had laid down the law, she’d refused to rise to the bait in a crowded room. Keeping her dignity, she’d returned to lunch and the interested glances from her friends. Yes. The hottie had kissed her.

Bastard.

Who the hell did he think he was? Even worse, why was she still turned on by the kiss? He was just a guy.

She snorted. Matt Dean was nowhere near a normal guy. Normal guys didn’t fill out their shirts like that… nor did they make her world explode with one little kiss. Hiring him had been a colossal mistake. She’d lived her early years with somebody else’s moods controlling her life, and she refused to do so again. No person, no matter how sexy, would ever set ground rules for her.

Of course, the women at lunch had all declared they were coming back for a business drink during the upcoming weekend. Yeah, right. They were coming back to ogle the new bouncer. The fact that he’d kissed her seemed to entice them even more.

How dare he kiss her.

“You’re gonna rub the sealant on the table into nothing,” a guttural voice said from the doorway.

She jumped and turned around. “Darn it, Smitty. Don’t scare me like that.”

Smitty grinned, and his gold front tooth glittered. He’d combed back his gray hair and donned green suspenders to keep his pants up. “What has you all tangled up?” Hitching his belly, he sauntered around the bar to begin cutting lemons.

“Nothing.” She stretched her back, turned, and threw the dishrag at him.

He caught it one-handed. “Uh-huh.”

She blew out air. Smitty had been her first hire three years ago when she’d opened the bar, and she couldn’t run the place without him. “By the way, I hired a backup bartender and bouncer for the next two weeks.” If she didn’t kill Matt first.

“Good.” Smitty turned toward the limes. “We need help with those bikers. Tell me you hired a badass.”

“I hired a badass.” One with the body of a god and the ego of a demon. “I’m sure he’ll come in handy.” She nearly choked on her casual tone of voice.

“Good.” Smitty kept slicing. “Did you remember the Jack Daniel’s?”

Darn it. She sighed. “No. Completely forgot.” Hustling to the bar, she fetched her purse from the bottom shelf. “The shipment will be here tomorrow, so we need… what? Two bottles?”

“Make it four. The bikers arrive today.” Smitty gathered the slices to place in containers. “Drive carefully. There’s a storm coming.”

She nodded, her keys already in her hand as she headed out the back door and down the alley to her compact. Clouds rolled high above, and the wind scattered leaves against the brick buildings. Hopefully she’d make it back before the storm hit—and maybe she could get a couple of great pictures of the action. Hopping inside her car, she quickly drove through the small town to the liquor store to the west. After making her purchases, she headed back to her car and stopped short.

The hair stood up on the back of her neck.

The left windshield wiper secured a piece of paper flapping in the wind. Her breath heated, and she scanned the empty parking lot. Most people had headed indoors before the storm descended. Swallowing, she looked inside the car to make sure nobody was waiting. The backseat remained empty, so she opened the door and slipped the bag of alcohol onto the floor. Steeling her shoulders, she shut the door and marched around the car to retrieve the note.

I’ve been watching you. Hastily scrawled letters covered the paper in black ink. Fear slithered down her back, while bile tried to climb up her throat. If the note spoke the truth, then somebody was probably watching her right now.

No way would they want to miss out on seeing her reaction.

She was smart enough to know their motivation for leaving a note was to make her feel vulnerable and haunted. So she hardened her eyes and looked around. Forest land sat to the west and north, while town sat to the south. Wind slapped leaves against her boots and shot a chill down her spine. If they wanted to see fear, they were out of luck.

She forced a smile onto her trembling lips and flipped off the forest.

If some coward wanted to leave her anonymous notes, no way was she going to let him know he scared her. Could it be Greg? Just as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she discarded it. If Greg had wanted to leave her a note, he’d write a bunch of silly, purple prose in it. This note was threatening and definitely not from Greg. She slid inside the car, locked the doors, and drove away from the store, her hands shaking.

Confusion clouded her thoughts. The people after her wouldn’t leave threatening notes. In fact, she doubted she’d even see them coming. Everyone had secrets, and she’d done what she had to do in order to buy the bar and settle down in safety. The small town had given her a home, and the bar had given her security. Looking back wouldn’t do any good. Even so, that’s exactly what she did while driving back to the bar. Nobody followed her.

Dragging the booze in, she slapped the note on the bar in front of Smitty. “Apparently I’m being watched.”

The bartender tugged spectacles from his back pocket and squinted as he read. His eyes widened. “That’s creepy. Have you noticed anybody weird around?”

“No.” The only new person around was Matt. She set a bottle of Jack on the shelf behind Smitty and stacked the rest on shelves under the bar.