A Wicked Seduction Read Online Free PDF

well to remember that she had a job to accomplish—one that had no room for the kind of distraction Dean Colter posed. She needed her guard up and her psyche alert.
    Duffle bag in hand, she hit the switch that controlled the garage door, then ran out. The rollingmetal panel doors clanged shut behind her seconds after her retreat, and she headed down the driveway to her vehicle, anxious to be on her way again.
    Her captive didn’t seem as flirtatious and carefree now that he realized what an error in judgment he’d made with her. In fact, the scowl creasing his features as he stared out the passenger window watching her approach clearly reflected his displeasure.
    She circled around the back of the Suburban, tossed his bag into the back seat, then slid behind the wheel. A loud “click” echoed in the vehicle as she took her usual precaution and activated all the door locks from the control panel on the armrest.
    â€œSo, where were you off to before I showed up?” she asked, wanting to gauge his mood and what kind of personality she’d be dealing with before she hit the road.
    Her prisoners usually fell into one of three categories of behavior during the transport back to jail: belligerent and verbally abusive; brooding and opting for the silent treatment; or attempting to reason with her and trying to validate their innocence.
    Dean wasn’t happy about the situation, but one look into his clear, striking green eyes and she knew she could rule out the first scenario. There was no malice in his gaze, just a wealth of frustration. His inexperience and first-time felon charge obviously hadn’t jaded him. Yet.
    â€œI was on my way to a much-needed week-long vacation at a secluded cabin in the mountains.”
    The gear she’d found in his car certainly verifiedhis claim. She appreciated his honesty, though she thought the “much needed” part stretched credibility. “That would have been a good place to hide out,” she agreed, snapping on her seat belt. “I’m sorry to put a crimp in your plans.”
    He shifted in his seat, managing to turn those wide shoulders her way so he was looking at her straight-on. His presence was potently male and more than she’d bargained for, filling the interior of the large cab with an enticing masculine heat and scent she hadn’t anticipated having to deal with. The combination aroused her senses and stirred something vital deep in her belly.
    Hunger, she told herself, startled by the unexpected fluttering sensation she’d experienced. A craving for food, not something totally forbidden to her. She’d skipped lunch and had only munched on a chocolate-covered granola bar she’d brought along for the ride, and her stomach was making its needs known.
    That’s all it was, she assured herself.
    Dean’s gaze was direct as it connected with hers, his expression businesslike. “Look, Ms. Sommers, I think there’s been some kind of mistake.”
    Here we go, she thought. Reality was finally settling in, and he was grasping at any excuse to gain back his freedom. Unfortunately, the argument he’d chosen was particularly overused, and a feeble one at that.
    Unclipping the set of keys from the waistband of her jeans, she inserted one into the ignition. She actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He seemedso green about this entire process—or maybe he was dreading the return trip to San Francisco to testify against the leader of an auto theft ring. That would definitely explain the inkling of desperation she detected beneath his more confident facade.
    â€œMr. Colter, this isn’t a mistake.” Surprised to hear the regret in her own voice, she quickly replaced it with indifference. “Your arrest is as real as it gets. I have the paperwork to prove it.”
    At the sound of the engine turning over, a touch of panic flared to life in his eyes. “Don’t I have any