Earth Warden Read Free Page B

if the bird’s nest in the broken cover was any indication. Instead, the alleyway was shrouded in darkness and tucked out of sight of the street. The perfect place for an attack.
    Hawk’s scowl deepened as his companion searched around in her purse for the keys. He couldn’t believe this.
    “You should have found those before you left the diner,” he said in disapproval. Did the woman have no damn common sense whatsoever? It was a good thing he was here with her. Distracted as she was, she’d make an easy target for any random nut-job wandering the streets.
    She shot him a look through her bangs. “Who do you think you are? My damn father?”
    Hawk sighed. This was why he was glad he had no family to speak of, just his warrior brothers. Stupid I can look after myself even though I obviously have no clue how to females, who didn’t have the common sense they were well born with.
    “No. But I pity the poor man with a daughter like you,” he snapped back, exhaustion and pain making his tone sharper than he intended. “You do realize you could be attacked down here and no one would know?”
    She shrugged, a dismissive gesture, and carried on with her search. Hawk ground his teeth in frustration. He wasn’t used to being ignored, especially not when he was trying to tell her something for her own benefit.
    “Aha! Found them. They always hide in the corners.”
    She pulled the keys from the tiny excuse for a purse in triumph. Hawk looked at it. It wasn’t big enough to get a decent sized...well, anything...in, so how she could lose anything in the thing was beyond him.
    “Did you hear a word I said?”
    “Hmmm?” She bent her knees, ducking down and squinting as she tried to find the keyhole in the door. Hawk prayed for strength.
    “About being attacked? Here? Don’t be stupid. It’s far too close to the diner for anyone to try anything here,” she said with a small chuckle, and managed to get her keys in the lock finally. The door swung open.
    Hawk lost his temper and slammed it shut. She needed to be taught a lesson about personal safety before she got herself hurt for real. And he was just the guy to do it.
     
     
    Lyssa jumped at his sudden movement and started to back up. He looked very dangerous, the expression on his face grim and forbidding. Her heart pounding, she tried to dodge away, but he was too quick for her. A large hand closed around her upper arm and hauled her up against him before she could escape.
    “Is that so?” he muttered, his lips inches from hers.
    Eyes locked with his, she lost the ability to think. His eyes were beautiful. Mesmerizing in their intensity. Darkness swirled in the depths, joined by a heat that made her go weak at the knees. Her body reacted in seconds, heat flooding her cheeks as the nipples beneath her cotton T-shirt tightened to hard buds that rubbed against his broad chest. Lord, he had to feel that, there was no way he could miss it. His eyes darkened further, lips parting to drag a swift breath in, the look starting a flutter deep in her abdomen.
    Oh god, I'm a tart…
    She should have felt threatened, but didn’t. One look in his eyes, so close to hers, and she knew he wouldn't hurt her, not physically anyway. Emotionally…that was an entirely different matter.
    Please let him kiss me… so close...
    "S… Sorry, you were saying?" she asked, realizing he'd said something.
    A slow grin spread over his lips and took her breath away. Snarling and surly he'd been cute as hell, but smiling? He was drop-dead gorgeous. Lyssa barely managed to restrain a whimper as he leaned down, his lips almost brushing hers.
    "Doesn’t matter...."
    His voice was a soft whisper, lost to Lyssa's ears as soon as his lips touched hers. Not the demanding, hard touch she expected but a softer, gentle exploration. His lips slanted over hers, his hand sliding to the nape of her neck and tilting her head to just the angle he wanted.
    His lips wandered. Softly at first, sliding caressingly