On Her Six (Under Covers) Read Free Page A

lost in her own little world. Her eyes clouded, and she stared down the vacant street, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, that’s what I should do. I mean, I couldn’t officially lock him up. But I could get Martinez to do it. He owes me from last week’s poker game.” Her gaze raked from Ash’s buzzed-cut head to his scuffed sneakers as if sizing him up.
    His lips curled at the corners. I’d like to see you try . That would be a sight. She thought she was such a badass with her handcuffs, but she’d never faced anyone with his kind of training. The Special Forces and later the DEA had seen to it that he could tackle any situation. No way would a tiny, annoying thing like her get the drop on him.
    The smile broadened into a grin. That is, unless he wanted her to.
    He could imagine it now: she’d get a few touches in as she tried to maneuver him into submission. He’d let her get one arm behind his back. Make her think she had the upper hand. That’s how pushy broads like her operated—always dominating everything. But after a few moments of playtime, as she reached for his other arm, he’d reverse her hold, and get her under him so fast she wouldn’t know what hit her.
    Keeping his thoughts and smiles to himself, he proceeded toward his front door in silence. That would aggravate her more than if he spoke. He liked knowing that.
    “Wait, you live here? Next to me?” She sounded devastated. “ You’re the new neighbor? Ugh. Of course you are. Just my luck.” He could almost hear her eyes rolling.
    Ash couldn’t suppress a smirk.
    “Aren’t you going to say anything?” Approaching his porch, her footsteps grew heavier, the soles of her shoes pounding into the earth. “I want answers!” When he didn’t provide any, she switched tactics. “What if that druggie comes back? What if he finds Carrie London and her baby a few houses down? Huh? How will you feel when you hear about a single mother and her child getting hurt knowing you’re the one who let it happen? And gave the addict money for his next hit!”
    Fuck. Ash halted with one foot on the first step. In his book, women and children were always off-limits.
    Jesus, what did he do?
    No, he’d taken the addict’s gun and given him money. He was long gone by now.
    As if hearing his thoughts, she placed her hand on his arm. “So you do care.”
    He shot a sharp glance at the physical contact but didn’t turn around. Such a contrast—her tiny hand to his large, powerful arm. His fists clenched and unclenched. “Remove your hand.”
    She pulled back as if she’d been stung. Smart girl. “Who are you? Why do you have a gun? And how do you know so much about Vamp?”
    Screw twenty questions. He took the final steps to his house two at a time and then rested his hand on the screen door latch.
    Surprise, surprise—she was right behind him.
    “And why don’t you want cops involved?” She peered around his body to catch a glimpse inside his house. He didn’t care. All she’d see was that he was scarce on furniture and needed to dust the place. “What are you hiding?”
    He pulled on the screen door, giving her only a second to move out of the way, before he stepped inside and pulled it closed. Turning, he debated whether to speak.
    Nah.
    Grasping the oak door, he shut it in her face. Take that . He grinned as he pictured her stunned expression—wide eyes, red cheeks, pouty lips pinched together.
    The woman was the complete opposite of his usual taste—buxom brunettes with more than two handfuls up top—but damn if she didn’t have something that attracted him. Despite her barely-there curves, she had a spark.
    Confirming his thought, she yelled from the other side of the door. “You are the rudest man I’ve ever met! I hope you don’t plan on being in the neighborhood long, buddy, because I’ll be keeping a very close eye on you! I can be extremely annoying when I want to be!”
    Yeah, he’d already figured that out.
    A thud