Heat: An Alpha Male Criminal Romance (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

at in the rearview mirror. He’s giving nothing away.
    Just when I think he won’t answer, he speaks up. “I’m Moon’s bodyguard and friend. Do those titles work for you?” he finally replies.
    It’s my turn to say, “Hmm,” and then forge ahead. “How long have you been friends?”
    His response is quicker this time. “I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.” He lets the words hang as I consider if I want to play this game.
    “Give me the first question and I’ll decide.”
    I receive his gravelly chuckle. “Okay, Miss Kinlock, you’re on. Why did you go into private investigations after leaving your department?”
    I don’t like his question because I hate thinking about it. Of course, that doesn’t keep me from thinking about it three or four times a day. “That’s a rather private question.” I say in order to give myself time to decide if I’m willing to answer.
    His voice turns slightly playful. “So is the length of my friendship with Moon.”
    I don’t like doing the buddy–buddy thing with a thug. I think about my answer and finally come up with, “I’m good at it.”
    He shakes his head. “Try answering the question.”
    I give a heavy sigh so he thinks he’s won. “I had bills to pay, no other job prospects, and I was qualified.” It’s only half the answer, but it’s the one he’s getting.
    “That’s not all of it.” We both remain silent as a minute passes, and I refuse to add more. “Okay, you win. I’ll let you slide,” he finally says. “With your looks and body there are a lot of other things you could have done and it would earn you a hell of a lot more money.”
    He has now pushed the buttons that take me from a mild-mannered person to pissed off in 0.002 seconds. Why is it, when I bring up the subject of a career with men, they tend to consider what I could do with a body “like yours”? They seem to think if you have large tits, respectable work isn’t your only option. My last not-quite boyfriend got dumped for voicing his opinion on that matter. The thought of a girlfriend being an exotic dancer didn’t bother him. After this eye-opening conversation, I never saw that particular not-quite boyfriend again. I grit my teeth at his memory. He was one of a long line of losers I tend to choose. Pain flashes behind my eyes and I relax my jaw before snipping at Gomez, “Says the bodyguard of the biggest pimp in the Southwest.” There, take that, asshole.
    His voice drops an octave. “Relax, sweetie. Whatever you’re thinking isn’t what I’m thinking.”
    Sweetie , the nerve. I give him silence for the next five minutes. Then, because I want personal information, I ask, “So your employer doesn’t smile often, does he?” Most people will smile to relieve the anxiety of those around them. Not Moon. The more nervous I became, the more his regard intensified.
    “Ha,” Gomez bursts out. “Moon’s smiles are rare. He intimidates by being his usual broody self. I’ve worked on his charm techniques for years with no luck.” Gomez’s head cocks a little and I know he’s looking at me again. “You eventually grow accustomed to it.”
    Interesting. I can usually size someone up fairly quickly. I couldn’t peg Moon. Gomez, on the other hand, comes across as lighthearted with a touch of playboy. He hides his true colors with congeniality. Do not forget gorgeous. The man gives Moon a run for his money. The problem is—Gomez is intense in a different way than Moon is. Nothing gets past him and that’s why he’s Moon’s bodyguard. He’s someone you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. I may have stood up to him in the parking garage but I was caught between a rock and a hard place and sometimes you have no choice.
    “We were placed in the same crib as babies.” He says, which surprises me. There’s a slight change in his tone. He’s either telling me more than he actually wanted to or it’s meant to sucker me into more Q and A’s.