Wicked (27 page)

mean."

"It wasn't meant to be. I didn't realize you were so primed." He arched a silky blond brow. "Maybe I should make sure that instead of
not
masturbating

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when I'm not around, that you do it every time before we go for a ride."

"Or maybe not. That could be fun too."

Lara lips twitched. Okay, so there was a bit of humor to be had there. "Where

are we, anyway?"

"Back entrance of Risqué nightclub. I want you to meet a couple of friends of

mine."

She started to look around. "In the alley?"

A dark shape dashed out from behind a van five feet away. "Slut! Devil's

whore!"

Before she knew what was happening, rough hands grabbed at Lara, pulling

her almost off her feet. A strong arm wrapped around her neck and held her

against a barrel chest. "You think you're too good for my brother. You think

you're so damn perfect. You're just a slut. A whore who spreads her legs for

the devil!"

Adrenaline kicked in full force when Lara heard the words and saw the

deadly curved knife in her attacker's hand, aimed at her solar plexus.

"Hey!" Karl shouted, inching closer. "I'm the devil you want. Let her go and come after me like a man."

Hot breath coated her cheek as the guy kept ranting. "You'd rather let this

devil play between your thighs than smile at my brother. Day after day, I pray

for you. I've tried to warn you, but you wouldn't listen. Now it's time for you to

leave him."

"Hey, asshole! Look at me. You don't want to hurt her. You like her,

remember? You want me. Come on, come get me."

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Lara watched Karl inch closer, his eyes on her attacker the whole time.

Calm, intent, deadly.

When the arm moved and the knife pointed straight at Karl, fear spurred Lara

on and she reacted instinctively.

She drove her elbow into her attacker's gut and her foot down on his instep.

The grip around her throat loosened, and she slammed her fist down and

into his balls. He stumbled back and she jumped to the side as Karl tackled

him and took him to the ground.

They struggled, rolling around as Lara stepped closer. Karl pinned the hand

with the knife and she kicked at it. The knife skittered across the asphalt and

she ran to the door of the club. She wasn't worried about Karl so much when

the knife wasn't in play.

Lara banged a fist on the metal door of the club, and yanked it open. "Help!

Someone call nine-one-one." Two men came running down the hallway.

Heart in her throat, she turned back to the fight.

The fight was over though. Karl was coming toward her, the unconscious

form of her attacker on the ground behind him. She rushed to him, wrapping

her arms around him so tight she was never going to let go.

"You okay?" he asked as he tilted her chin up to look into her face.

"I'm fine. It's you that scared me to death!" She stepped back and smacked

him in the shoulder. "Why did you attack him? Why didn't you just turn

around and get help? Why didn't you use your fucking cell phone? Damn it,

Karl, you scared the shit out of me!"

He reached out and pulled her struggling form against him. "Shhh, it's okay.

We're okay."

An amused voice cut through the pounding in her ears. "I take it that's Lara?"

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"Yes, this is my girl. Who, by the way, kicked ass."

She laughed against his chest, recovering quickly now that she could feel his

warmth against her. "Actually, it was his instep I kicked, but I did nail him in the balls."

"You did good, sugar." Karl's arms tightened around her once more, before

relaxing enough that she could step back.

"We've got Sandra Bullock to thank for that little bit of self-defense," she said with a chuckle as she looked into Karl's eyes. "Me and the boys watched

Miss Congeniality
the other night, and they made me practice the SING

method. And while it didn't work exactly as planned, they'll be thrilled to know

it did work!"

Karl's eyes widened slightly. "SING method?"

"Solar plexus, instep, nose, and groin."

"Crazy," he muttered and hugged her tightly once more before she pulled

back. She didn't go far, though. She stayed glued to his side, one arm around

his waist, and turned to meet his friend.

"Hi," she said to the tall, dark, and handsome guy.

He held out a hand, his smile big and welcoming. "Hi, Lara. I'm Valentine

Ward, Karl's buddy."

A siren came from the distance, and they all looked down the alley. Two big

guys from the club had her attacker rolled over, his hands tied with rope.

They were trying to stand him up. "Just leave him on the ground, guys. The

cops will be here in a second."

Karl walked her over, and Val followed. "Do you know him?"

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A shiver ripped through her. "It's Robert. I don't know his last name, Yardley

or Hadley or something. He and his brother own the garage on Hastings that

I deliver parts to." She met Karl's gaze. "He always gave me the creeps."

"Good instincts."

Two cruisers turned down the alley and came to a stop nearby. The cops

took Robert away, and Val and his guys went back into the club while Karl

and Lara gave separate statements. It went quickly because one of the

responding officers was Mathews, who'd been on the scene when her

bedroom had been trashed.

Forty-five minutes later, they entered the back hallway of Risqué and Karl

pinned her to the wall again.

"Before we go in there, I have to tell you something," he said. His body

pressed against hers, his eyes roving over her as he brushed hair back from

her face.

"I have something to say too," she whispered.

They looked at each other, eyes roaming, their breath blending, emotions

completely bared. Her heart pounded in her chest, but not from fear. For the

first time she could remember, Lara's heart was completely open and she

wasn't afraid.

Karl opened his mouth to speak, but Lara stopped him with a finger pressed

against his lips. "Let me go first," she said.

Eyes shining with love, he nodded and closed his mouth. But he didn't move

away from her, and for that she was grateful. He hadn't backed down, and he

hadn't let her run, and that was the way she wanted it to always be.

"Right from the start, you challenged me. At first, I thought the challenge was

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just your way to get me to have dinner with you, but it was more than that.

You challenged me to find myself and to accept myself. And more than that,

you challenged me to accept you and what you could give me."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and cupped his cheek. Her thumb

smoothed over the scar running through his eyebrow, and she smiled into his

glittering eyes. "You seemed to instinctively know what I needed, and you've

given me more than I've ever imagined."

"You've—"

"Shush. I'm not done." She tilted her head and kissed him tenderly before

continuing. "I need you to know that I understand what you've been saying.

We fit. And when you tackled Robert, my heart about stopped. I don't think—I

know
no man but you could have ever convinced me that love can really be

mine, but you did it and now I'm yours, Karl Dawson. But don't you ever

forget that this works both ways.
You're mine too
."

Karl's grip on her tightened, and she saw his throat working up and down as

he gazed at her adoringly. "I'm yours too," he said, lowering his head and

placing his lips against hers. "Forever."

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