HelenKay Dimon - Tamed

He could stick to that plan. He had to if he wanted to remain sane. “There, was that so hard?”

“Actually, yes.”

A weight lifted off his shoulders. “Well, you better get used to it.”

“The bossiness, the need you have to get your way—which?”

“All of it. Because for the next day, I’m all you’ve got.” And for some reason, that made him feel infinitely better.

Chapter Four

Shane hadn’t issued an empty threat. Makena could actually feel the time running out as she sat in a tucked-away corner booth of a diner she’d never heard of. Never mind that they were on her turf. Even with the out-of-control way he drove, he lived more than a half hour away. She spent all of her time in and around Chestertown. Yet he’d driven maybe fifteen miles and found some dive she never even knew existed. Drove right to it, so he definitely knew it was there.

“The owners don’t spend a lot on lights.” She squinted in the dark, trying to make out the faces of the diners sitting nearby but giving up. The smell of French fries and cheese lured her in. If the food tasted half as good as it smelled, she’d be back.

“It was just paperwork.” He leaned an elbow on either side of his plate and ignored his hamburger. “That’s what had you all twitchy.”

Sounded as if Shane wanted to jump right into work and the safe and her secrets. No. Thank. You.

She held up her sandwich. “It’s actually grilled cheese.”

He flattened a hand against the fake-wood table. “I know you’re thinking you can drag this out, throw off my concentration.”

She let the cheese stretch in a string before breaking it off and popping it in her mouth. “I’m hoping.”

“No.”

Energy pounded off him. Every line of his body suggested he’d nip and pick at this until he got his answers. The intense stare. The stiff shoulders. That determined punch to his voice.

She gave up and dumped the sandwich on her plate. “You do understand this has been a rough night, right?”

He frowned. “I guess. Sort of.”

She thought about kicking him under the table but leaned in, dragging her body halfway across the table toward him, instead. “Did you miss the part where a guy died on my floor?”

“That sort of thing is not that out of the ordinary for me.”

Scary thing was she knew he wasn’t lying. Any sane woman would run. Take off in the opposite direction and not look back. She’d tried that. She honestly had. She’d dated other guys and pretended her heart didn’t do triple time whenever she saw him. None of it worked.

The big tough-guy thing, the pretty face and linebacker body all combined to knock her off balance. She’d been attracted to him from the start, and the feelings refused to die. But right now she needed him to be more than the man she wove wild dreams about each night. She needed him to back off on her secrets but stay close in case someone really was after her.

She dropped back against the ripped booth and stared him down. “Your work scares me.”

“It’s fine.” He waved her concerns off without ever breaking eye contact. “Back to our deal. I believe you have something to say to me.”

She glanced up, about to tiptoe through the facts, when the words clogged in her throat. She could make out one face in the diner. Wasn’t tough, since he walked directly toward her, in a line right behind Shane. Slow and steady steps with a face filled with fury.

A ball of anxiety started spinning in her stomach. She had to sit on her hands to keep from fidgeting. “Were we followed here?”

Shane picked most of the toppings off his burger. “You’ve been watching too much television.”

She couldn’t move. All of a sudden her body froze and her mind went blank. The guy could have a gun or...she needed Shane on high alert. “You don’t understand.”

Shane’s expression changed as he shifted in his seat and glanced behind him. “What are you—”

The unwanted guest stopped right at the end of the table and stared at her. “Heard you had some trouble at your place tonight.”

He looked far too happy about the idea. He’d also just painted a target on his chest as the lead suspect in her attack. “How would you know that?”

Shane stood up, shoving his way out until he seemed to take up most of the space around the booth. “Who are you?”

“You on a date with her?” Jeff barked out a harsh laugh. “Dude, you should run. This one is—”

“That’s enough.” Shane didn’t even raise his voice. Didn’t have to. The vibration of menace would have been tough to miss.

Jeff took a step back. “You going to fight me?”

“You do not want that.” Shane shook his head as he eyed Jeff up and down. “Trust me.”

The mood in the diner changed. People openly gawked and the waitress backed away from their table. Blame it on testosterone or whatever, but a battle was brewing and clearly everyone felt the danger. Except Jeff. He didn’t back down. He outweighed Shane by at least thirty pounds, but Shane was all lean muscle and lethal fighter.

This would be a bloodbath, and while Jeff deserved to be pounded into the floor, she didn’t want to witness it. “Shane, stop.”

“Listen to the woman, Shane.”

“One more time. Who are you?” Shane’s voice dripped with disdain.

“Just one of the men she screwed over.” Jeff threw out an arm in her direction, nearly hitting her.

She pulled back just in time. “You can’t blame me. You’re the liar.”

With each word, her anger rose. She seethed with it. This guy had tracked her down, showed up at her house more than once. He’d been in the wrong and now pretended to be the victim. She despised him and everything he stood for.

Jeff’s face flushed red and he took a threatening step toward her. He reached his arm out but never touched her. Shane moved with lightning speed to stand between them and pushed the guy back. Kept pushing over Jeff’s protests and swearing until his back hit the wall. Shane held Jeff there with a hand around his throat. That was it. One hand had him pinned.

Shane didn’t even move as Jeff punched at his arm and moved his whole body, trying to break loose. When two men got up at another table, Shane held up a hand. Didn’t say a word, but the gesture was enough to get them sitting back down again.

Makena’s heart lodged in her throat and wouldn’t slip back down again. She wanted to stop the madness, but it had spiraled so fast and so furiously and she could only stand there, openmouthed and stunned.

“We seem to be having a miscommunication issue here. Let me be clear.” Shane’s voice sounded deadly cold and even. “You don’t go near her. Not to talk with her or touch her. Ever.”

Jeff tried to pry Shane’s hand off but failed. “She’s been asking for it.”

“That is the line said by every abusive male on the planet.” Shane’s grip tightened. “She dumped you. Move on.”

The idea of dating Jeff made her stomach roll. “That’s not what this is about.”

Jeff scoffed. “As if I would date that piece of—” His words choked off as his eyes bulged.

“Last warning.” Shane leaned in closer to Jeff. “If you think I won’t rip you apart in front of an audience, you’re dead wrong.”

“Tough talk from a guy who doesn’t even know what’s going on.”

It was as if Jeff wanted Shane to kill him. She couldn’t believe Jeff missed the rage simmering there. That he couldn’t see the darkness in Shane’s eyes.

After a beat of silence Shane let Jeff go, but not before shoving his head back and knocking it against the wall. “Explain it to me.”

Jeff doubled over in a coughing fit. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure. When he did, anger thrummed off him. “Ask your girlfriend. She’s the one causing trouble.” He scowled at her. “You going to turn on this guy, too?”