Solid Steel (Unseen Enemy Book 6) Read Online Free PDF Page A

rejection.”
    “Oh, I can handle rejection just fine,” he said cheerfully. “When it’s sincere.”
    Now she gaped at him. “You think I’m being insincere ?”
    “Oh, hell, yeah. You’re as interested as I am, but for reasons that completely elude me, you’re being stubborn about acting on it. Now, if you don’t play games, then I’m at a loss here. You strike me as the kind of woman who goes after what she wants, all fearless and no goddamn apologies, and since I think you want me, I can’t figure out why you’re turning me down.”
    She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
    “So.” Luke shifted that massive frame back and forth, and she worked hard to ignore the sensuous way that his body moved. “The way I see it is, you’re lying to me and you’re also maybe lying to yourself. Why?”
    “I’m – I’m not lying to anyone.”
    “Lying again.” Luke’s tone was light and unconcerned, but his eyes were blazing down at her. “You scared?”
    “Of you ?” she said, trying to sound scornful. “As if.”
    He shrugged one huge shoulder. “Maybe of me. Maybe of something else. But are you scared?”
    To her horror, Selena felt tears approaching. Again. What the hell was it about this guy that made her emotions bubble up so close to the surface? After weeks and weeks of holding it together without any major problems, this smooth-talking, arrogant-as-all-hell bartender was reducing her to mush without any effort whatsoever. Yeah, Luke was dark, hot, smoking danger, and she had to get the fuck out of here. Now.
    She stood up without a word, threw some money down on the table. “That should cover it. Tell Griff I’m waiting outside.”
    Luke watched her turn and stalk out the door, admired her curvy ass in those jeans. Everything about her screamed ‘running for her life’, and he wondered why she was denying something that she so clearly felt. In all this time of hearing Griff talk about the woman, Selena Perez had never struck Luke as the kind who’d run from anything. Not even her own feelings.
    He glanced down at his left arm, wondered briefly if she was repulsed or disgusted by it. Plenty of women were, and he could see it all over their faces and from a mile away. Hell, his own fiancée had taken up with his former good friend and run shrieking within days of him arriving back from Afghanistan mostly healthy and almost-whole – just missing what he’d lost in that freak explosion.
    Yeah, Natalie had been grossed out to the point of breaking off their engagement, and lots of women since had grimaced at the sight of Luke’s missing limb. Not Selena, though; she hadn’t been about to puke in his presence, hadn’t shown anything but compassion. No, Luke was sure that whatever the issue was, it wasn’t his hand.
    Griff returned now, looked around. “You run her off?”
    “I think so.”
    “You ask her out?”
    “Yeah. She said no.”
    “Mmmm-hmmm.” Griff’s dark green eyes were amused but watchful. “And?”
    “And.” Luke grinned. “How about I bring you guys some breakfast at work on Monday morning?”
    “Sounds awesome, man. Drop by the office around eight o’clock. We’ll just be arriving from finishing our shift then and we’ll be starving.”
    “Perfect. We’ll talk strategy at the game this weekend.”
    “For sure.” Griff put on his jacket. “You’re gonna need some help with this one, Romeo.”
    “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I can tell.”
    **
    Emma Cartwright threw her skirt on the bed, frustrated and ready to cry. It landed on the top of a towering pile of clothes that included jeans, dresses, jackets with buttons… and now her very last skirt.
    “Hey, angel.”
    She turned, delighted to have found a target for her wardrobe-induced meltdown.
    “ You ,” she hissed.
    Dean Jessop stood with a cup of coffee in his hand, blinked at the rage in Emma’s voice.
    “Me what?” he said cautiously.
    “ You did this to me. This is all your fault.”
    “What did I do?