Kristin Gabriel - Dangerously Irresistible

He stopped moving. “What?”

“You heard me, cowboy. You’re all mine.” She took a deep breath, still a little shaky from her first takedown. It had all gone according to plan. Sort of. She hadn’t actually intended to let him kiss her, or to kiss him back. But that didn’t matter now.

She had him exactly where she wanted him.

“You’re a bounty hunter?” he said at last, his blue eyes wide with disbelief.

“That’s right.” She stood beside the bed, waiting for him to accept the situation. He’d soon tire of fighting the handcuffs.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’ve got the wrong man. My name isn’t really Whip. I made that up….”

“I know,” she interjected. “You’re the Kissing Bandit.”

“Who?”

“The Kissing Bandit.” She reached down, unable to resist brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. “I realize Tanner Blackburn is your alias du jour, but even if the name changes, the crime stays the same. You’ve been scamming women for the past seven years, but your luck just ran out. I’m taking you in.”

“This is ridiculous.” He bucked once, his breathing heavy. “I am Tanner Blackburn and I’m an attorney from Dallas. I should warn you that forcibly holding someone against their will is a felony in this state.”

She arched a brow. “A lawyer? I thought you were a bull rider.”

He clenched his jaw. “I made that up.”

“Just like you made up the name Whip?”

“Yes.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Somehow that doesn’t sound like something an innocent man would do.”

“I had my reasons,” he said between clenched teeth.

“Now that I believe.” She slipped off her high heels, relishing the feel of the plush carpet against the soles of her feet. “Advertising your services in the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine is the standard m.o. for the Kissing Bandit. So is preying on helpless, vulnerable women.”

“Helpless?” He struggled to lift his head off the pillow. “I’d hardly call you helpless. Crazy, yes. Helpless, no.”

She smiled. “You’re just mad because I gave you a taste of your own medicine.”

He stopped moving and stared up at her. “Are you telling me this was all a ploy? The beers at the bar. The invitation to your hotel room. The kiss.”

She forced herself to meet his gaze, wishing she could forget about that kiss. It definitely hadn’t been part of her plan. She was only supposed to sketch him. But he’d caught her off guard when he’d marched into her hotel room and kissed her. So she’d improvised. Then, after she’d peeled his shirt over his shoulders to secure his arms, she hadn’t been able to resist kissing him again.

Now Maddie just wished she could forget the way her body had responded to him. It wasn’t just embarrassing, it was unprofessional. For one brief, insane, electrifying moment she had forgotten the real reason she’d brought him up to her hotel room.

“Tell me,” he demanded, obviously irritated by her silence, “do you really have a showing at an art gallery? Are you even from New York? Or were you just playing games with me?”

She tipped up her chin. “What do you think?”

His shoulders sagged. “I think I’m an idiot.”

“Don’t take it so hard. Your luck couldn’t hold out forever.”

He closed his eyes. “This is beyond crazy. I am not the Kissing Bandit. I’m an estate lawyer.”

“Is that one of your new scams? I imagine there is quite a profit in seducing wealthy widows.”

“It’s not a scam, it’s the truth. I’m with the law firm of Collins and Cooksey. The only reason I made up Whip the Bull Rider was to impress you.”

“I’m definitely impressed with your creative abilities—” she sat on the edge of the bed “—although I do think it’s a little disgusting that you’re in a bar trying to pick up women the night before your wedding.”

“My wedding?” His brow furrowed. “Where did you get a crazy idea like that?”

“From you. Down at the bar you told me that you’d met the bride through the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine. I believe your exact words were—It paid off.”

He shook his head. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. I tried to tell you that before, but you distracted me.”

“Oh, sure. Blame the victim.”

“Victim.” He snorted. “I’m the one whose leg is growing numb. Now please unlock these cuffs.”

Maddie could see his discomfort, but she steeled herself against the appeal in his blue eyes. A bounty hunter couldn’t risk feeling sorry for her fugitives or allow herself to make concessions. Besides, the man deserved a little discomfort after all the pain he’d caused her father—not to mention all the women whose hearts he’d broken.

“I’ll unlock them when we get to Chicago.”

His eyes widened. “Chicago?”

She nodded. “That’s where we’re headed as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow. I’ve been tracking you for the past three days and I’m a little behind schedule.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” He lunged upward, but only succeeded in rolling off the bed. He hit the carpet with a loud grunt.

She kneeled down on the floor beside him. “It won’t do you any good to try to escape.”

“Escape?” he sputtered, wincing as he rolled onto his side. “Sorry to disappoint you, but at the moment I’m just hoping I didn’t break any bones.”

Her sympathy overcame her better judgment. She pulled a small key from the pocket of her sundress and unlocked the cuff around his ankle. He slowly straightened his right leg, wincing at the movement. Maddie didn’t waste any time securing the empty cuff around the metal leg of the bed frame.

“There,” she said, helping him up to a sitting position, his arms still cuffed behind his back. “That’s better.”

“No, that’s not better. I demand that you release me immediately!” He yanked hard on his chains.

“Sorry, Whip. No can do.”

“The name is Tanner.”

“This week, anyway.” She sat down in a chair across from him.

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Face it, lady, you nabbed the wrong man.”

She sighed. “It’s not going to work.”

“My name is Tanner Blackburn,” he insisted.

“And you’re a lawyer.”

“That’s right.”

“A successful lawyer?”

He nodded. “As a matter of fact, I’m on the fast track to making partner.”

“Impressive.” She leaned forward. “So tell me something. Why would a handsome, successful lawyer advertise himself in the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine?”

He met her gaze and her stomach fluttered at the indefinable emotion swirling in his blue eyes. “It’s a long story.”

“That’s all right, Whip… I mean, Tanner.” She settled back in her chair. “It’s not like you’re going anywhere.”

She forced herself to remain calm as he worked himself into a fury, yanking on the chains hard enough to make the bed vibrate. He was much brawnier than she’d expected. His shoulders were wide and his chest unbelievably broad. He’d obviously been working out since that last mug shot had been taken.

Her mouth went dry when she remembered the way his chest muscles had rippled beneath her touch. How the bulge of his biceps had helped snag his shirtsleeves behind him, making it almost impossible for him to move his arms.

She’d known the Kissing Bandit had charmed women all over the country, but she’d never really understood his magnetic power…until tonight.

The man had a boyish appeal that was almost irresistible. Especially when it was combined with those incredible blue eyes, that solid, square jaw, and a smile that melted something deep inside of her.

Not to mention that kiss.