Fatal Burn (West Coast 2) - Page 174

He’d told her as much.

Because of her escape attempt, he’d had to alter his plans and he didn’t like it. She thought he might do something because he was so angry: hit her, or beat her or worse. So far, that hadn’t been the case.

After he’d bound and blindfolded her, he’d gagged her, then left her on the porch and spent some time inside the cabin. She’d heard him moving furniture. Soon after he’d hauled her down the hill to his truck, stuck her inside and started driving. All the while, she’d smelled gas, the fumes seeping through her gag to burn her nose and mouth.

The scent was everywhere, seeming to emanate from him and she felt cold as death when she thought what he might do with it.

She could see only a sliver of light beneath the crack at the bottom of the blindfold. She could tell it was getting dark and she hated to think what he’d planned for her.

Whatever it was, the gas was an essential ingredient.

It scared her to death.

Shannon spied Travis waiting for her and her stupid heart did a crazy little flip. “Idiot,” she told herself as she pulled the Mazda into her parking spot near the garage. What was it about that man that she couldn’t get enough of? There’s a phrase for that, Shannon. It’s called self-destruction. Emotional self-destruction.

“Bring it on,” she muttered as she threw the key in her purse.

Seated on the top step of her front porch, long legs stretched in front of him, Travis followed her with his eyes, scratching Khan behind his ears, watching Shannon pull to a stop. Damn, but he looked good.

There was just something about his lanky build and easy smile that got to her. All of the tension seemed to ease from her shoulders as she climbed out of the car and

he pushed himself upright.

“Traitor,” she said to the dog. “How’d he get out?”

“Santana has a key.”

“And he let you inside.”

“He let the dog out,” Travis clarified, “but for the record, I think he trusts me.”

She raised one eyebrow. “I doubt it. Nate doesn’t trust anyone.”

“He’s in love with you.” His eyes were an intense laser blue.

“So he’s said.”

“And you?”

She sighed, strolled up to him and said, “Oh, you know how it is, you can’t force your heart to do things it won’t. You see, I’ve got this other guy I’m interested in.”

His surprised smile stretched wider as she reached him, his shadow stretching over her. “Are you?”

“Hmmm. But he made me mad. Real mad. Lied to me.”

His smile fell away. “I never lied to you. Never misrepresented myself.”

“Just feigned interest in me to find out what made me tick, what I knew about Dani.”

“Only partially right. I did want to know all those things, but I never ‘feigned’ interest in you. I didn’t have to. I was interested right from the get-go.” His arms surrounded her, then he pulled her close. She smelled the faint scent of some aftershave. He rested his forehead against hers, their eyes the barest of inches apart. She was lost in the intensity of his gaze, the blue fire burning. “I didn’t want to be interested in you. Hell, no. That wasn’t something I’d planned, but from the first time I saw you, in the window, leaning over the sink, and I was out in the field, sizing the place up before the fire, I knew I was in trouble.”

She sighed. “I thought you were the last man, the very last man on earth I should get involved with.” She smiled up at him. “But here we are.”

She touched the side of his face with one finger and he groaned.

“Oh, hell,” he growled and pulled her tight, his lips claiming hers in a kiss that seemed to ricochet through her body, creating immediate and intense heat, bringing up vivid memories of making love to him.

She wanted to tell him everything, spill out her heart. Tears filled her eyes.

Tags: Lisa Jackson West Coast Mystery
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