Kristin Gabriel - Dangerously Irresistible

“Gotcha,” he said with a satisfied, sexy grin.

“This is silly,” Maddie protested weakly as the heat in Tanner’s gaze uncoiled something deep inside her. Flustered, she turned and picked up the key from the nightstand. “All I have to do is unlock it….” Her voice trailed off when she realized the key wouldn’t turn.

“You look so sexy in red,” Tanner teased, running his finger along her arm.

Goose bumps broke out along her skin and Maddie sucked in a deep breath, trying in vain to gather her scattered wits. She licked her lips. “Don’t do this to me, Tanner.”

Tanner brushed a tendril of hair off her cheek. “You’re under the mistaken impression that I’m some kind of Casanova. I’m not. But ever since we met, there’s been something between us….”

“Tanner, we can’t…” She moaned as he shifted his weight on the bed, bringing him closer—intimately closer. “No matter how much I’d like to,” she gasped.

“Maddie,” he said, dropping a soft kiss on her lips, “I don’t think you’re in a position to argue….”

Dear Reader,

I had so much fun with my first Temptation novel—writing about a strapping, sexy hero and the strong, sassy woman who catches him. And in my book, that’s exactly what my heroine, Maddie Griffin, does. You see, Maddie is an aspiring bounty hunter and she takes her job very seriously. So when Tanner Blackburn proves to be too dangerously irresistible for the women of the world, Maddie is determined to keep the female population safe. One way or another…

I’d love to hear what you think of Maddie and Tanner’s amorous escapades. You can reach me online at www.KristinGabriel.com or write to me at P.O. Box 5162, Grand Island, NE 68801-5162.

Enjoy,

Kristin Gabriel

HARLEQUIN LOVE & LAUGHTER

40—BULLETS OVER BOISE

56—MONDAY MAN

62—SEND ME NO FLOWERS

HARLEQUIN DUETS

7—ANNIE, GET YOUR GROOM

25—THE BACHELOR TRAP

27—BACHELOR BY DESIGN

29—BEAUTY AND THE BACHELOR

Dangerously Irresistible

Kristin Gabriel

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For you, Kent.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

MADDIE GRIFFIN STOOD on her tiptoes to peek through the grimy window of the double-wide trailer. She saw green shag carpet on the living room floor, a centerfold hanging on the wall, and a shotgun propped in the corner—right next to the young man sprawled in a recliner with a can of beer in his hand.

He was tall and wiry, with fuzz on his chin that barely passed for a goatee. Not more than eighteen, he wore ragged denim cutoffs and a sweat-stained gray T-shirt with a gaping hole under one arm.

Maddie moved away from the window, her heart racing in her chest as she prepared to put her plan into action.

Retrieving a smoke bomb from her bag, she lit it, then rolled it underneath the souped-up green Chevy Nova sedan parked in the gravel driveway. Plumes of thick grayish-white smoke soon swirled up through the grill and around the front tires of the vehicle.

Crouching behind a dented aluminum trash can, Maddie pulled out her cell phone and dialed up the occupant of the trailer.

After three rings, a sluggish voice came over the line. “Yeah?”

“Hi, this is Tina, your next-door neighbor.” Maddie held her breath, hoping she sounded like the blond bombshell who lived in a nearby trailer. She’d never actually met the woman, though she had nosed through her mailbox to discover her name.

“Hey, Tina,” he said, sounding surprised. “What’s up?”

“Well, I just looked out my window…and I think your car is on fire.”

A moment later, Maddie saw a shadow at his trailer window, then heard a crude oath explode over the line. The telltale squeak of the trailer’s front door told her he’d taken the bait.

Obviously, he fit the young and stupid category, as did most of the bail jumpers who kept the Griffin Bail Enforcement Agency so busy.

She stood up and pulled a canister of pepper spray out of her pocket. Her prey raced down the concrete steps toward the car, completely unaware that his freedom was just about to come to an end.

Suddenly, someone tackled Maddie from behind, knocking her into the dirt. The pepper spray went flying as she gasped to regain her breath. She lay flat on her stomach, the crushing weight of the body still on top of her. Before she could scream, a beefy hand clamped over her mouth.

“Shut up or you’ll ruin everything, you nitwit!”

Tate. Her big brother had lousy timing. White-hot fury rolled through her as she lifted her head just far enough to see her other brother Ben apprehend the fugitive. Her fugitive. The takedown was quick and easy, just as she’d known it would be.

By the time the kid was in handcuffs, Tate had hauled her to her feet and was brushing leaves and grass out of her hair.

Ben strolled up to them, the fugitive in tow. “Damn it, Tate, why did you knock her down like that? You know Dad will chew both our butts if Maddie has even so much as a scratch on her.”

“She was holding pepper spray. If you think I’m taking a chance on her spraying me again, you’re nuts. Besides, you got the easy part. She bit me!” He held up his palm to show his brother the damage. Then he scowled at Maddie. “I thought you were against violence.”

“That’s what you get for sneaking up on me! Which, for your information, is the reason I accidentally sprayed you the last time.” She wrenched her arm out of her brother’s grasp, furious with them both for botching her takedown. Again. “When are you two going to quit following me around?”

“Hey, we’re just following Dad’s orders.” Ben shook his head. “And you’re in trouble this time, sis. Big trouble.”

An hour later, Maddie knew her brother hadn’t been exaggerating. She stood in her father’s office, her ears ringing from the decibel level of his voice. He’d been shouting at her for the past fifteen minutes. Surely he couldn’t hold out much longer.

“This is it!” Gus Griffin banged his fist on the desk. “This is the last straw. If I can’t trust you to stay in the office, then you’re fired. I’ll find another secretary.”

“Good,” she retorted, when he finally paused for breath. “I never wanted to be your secretary. I want to be a bounty hunter, just like you and Ben and Tate. I may not have your brawn, but I’ve got more than enough brains to do the job, plus a degree in criminal justice from Northwestern. I’m ready.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And I’m ready to lock you up until you come to your senses. A lady doesn’t belong in this business. And I’m not letting any daughter of mine out on the streets to confront dangerous felons.”

She leaned forward, planting both palms on his desk. “Then I’ll go work for someone else. Or start my own agency. I’m twenty-five years old, Dad. You can’t tell me what to do anymore.”

A muscle twitched in his grizzled jaw and Maddie knew that her father was still frustrated that he couldn’t control her. That was one of the reasons he’d sent her off to boarding school shortly after her mother’s death when she was twelve. He could handle the rough and tumble world of boys, but the thought of dealing with a little girl clearly hadn’t appealed to him. So he’d shut her out of the family.