Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Ghost followed Diana out the back door of the Dawg and down the steps to the parking lot, fighting his swelling cock the whole way. Why the fuck was he so turned on? He taught women how to take down guys bigger than they were all the time. It was nothing new to see it happen.
But the way she’d so coolly looked the guy in the face and then slaughtered his pride would be etched in Ghost’s brain for weeks. Like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
He’d gotten up to head her direction when she’d slapped a hand away from her body, but he hadn’t realized the situation would turn so quickly. Or that she’d drop the douchebag like the sack of shit he was before Ghost could even reach her side.
He’d seen red when the asshole pushed her into the wall. He’d nearly been there, ready to break some bones, when suddenly she was in motion. Boom, boom, boom. Man on the floor, buddies in shock, Diana in control.
She’d gazed at those men with enough ice to freeze the surface of the sun, and they’d shrunk from it the moment they realized what she was capable of.
He wondered what had made her so cold. What had happened to her?
Or was it just the way rich people were raised?
Probably all that time in drawing rooms with government officials and foreign ambassadors.
Learning which spoon to use, whether to curtsy or not, if it was long gloves or short ones—or none—for the opera that night.
Things he didn’t give a shit about, but which had probably been a part of her life for years.
The air was a little cooler tonight. A cold front had moved in, but it wasn’t enough to stop the daily temps from reaching the eighties. Just enough to make nights bearable.
The parking lot was crowded because it was Friday. Voices carried over the cars as people arrived. It was dusk, the light fading quickly, the sky a brilliant salmon and purple to the west. He easily caught up to Diana. She marched forward like she was on a mission, and he kept pace with her.
“You have to do that often?” he asked.
She shot him a glance. “What? Drop grown men to the floor?” She snorted. “Not as often as they deserve, probably.”
“What did you say to him?”
“Which time?”
“When he backed you into the wall.”
“He said somebody needed to teach me a lesson. I asked when the lesson started. Then I put him on the floor when he tried to pull me into the hallway.”
“You damaged his pride. He won’t forget it.”
“He was warned. I asked them to stop blocking the exit, but men like that don’t listen. If he tries again, the same will happen.”
“Probably should have shown him your badge so he doesn’t try to fuck with you again. Rednecks like that won’t respect you, but they will respect that you’re a Fed.”
“I was a little busy, Alex. Seemed like a moot point by the time you handed me my purse. He comes at me again, I’ll make sure he knows.
” She strode up to a navy-blue BMW and unlocked the doors with a click before turned to face him.
“Though I shouldn’t have to use a badge to get a man to leave me alone, should I? ”
“No, you shouldn’t. But it’s smart to use it with people like that.”
Her jaw worked. “Next time. Thanks for the escort. You’re right that back up was smart.”
Ghost pushed his hands in his pockets. It was that or touch her, and he already knew she could kneecap him. “You’re welcome. You sure you don’t want that drink?”
She snorted. “Positive. Didn’t you just tell me earlier that you don’t like me and to stay away from your guys?”
Shame dug into him. “I was pissed.”
“Because I rented an apartment in Sutton’s Creek. I remember.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t trust people when my team’s safety’s at stake. Not you and not anyone. It’s not personal.”
She nodded, two spots of color high in her pretty cheeks. He’d only just noticed because the lights in the parking lot buzzed to life, illuminating her beneath the glow.
“Suspicion is part of our nature. It’s what makes us good at the job.
” She sighed, looked past him like she was staring at some far-off thing on the horizon.
“I respect what you’re doing. I know it’s important.
It’s not my intent to interfere with the successful completion of what you came to do.
But I’ve got my own thing I need to do, too.
I’m not just ping-ponging between targets with no plan.
I’m competent, and I’m good. I won’t stand in your way. But please don’t get in mine either.”
Again, he wondered what had made her this way. Woman like her should be soft and pampered, but she wasn’t. Not that he thought women needed to be soft or pampered unless they wanted to be, but in his experience it took a rough kind of life to turn someone into the type of hard ass he’d become.
Guess being wealthy didn’t guarantee an easy life after all. Or maybe some people were just wired to be hard.
“Not the plan,” he told her.
“Good.”
She opened the car door and he grasped it while she sank into the leather interior. She gazed up at him, a wounded look on her face. Or maybe he imagined it since it was gone in an instant.
“Thanks for coming to rescue me. It was nice of you.”
“Unnecessary though,” he said softly.
She smiled and electricity zipped through him. What would it feel like to lose himself in her? To slide into her body, her arms and legs wrapping around him, and let go of all the pent up frustration he’d held onto for the past few months?
“It was. But still nice of you.”
He had the oddest urge to bend down and take her mouth with his. He straightened instead. Pushed the door closed. She didn’t break eye contact for a long minute. Then she turned her head, started the car, and drove away without looking at him again.