Rebel's Desire (Iron Portal Paranormal Romance Series) (Iron Portal Series Book 4) Read Free Page A

sure it was him?”
    He’d nodded, said he’d seen the man many times at the dive strip club he owned.
    Maybe she should’ve waited and come up with some sort of plan first, but she couldn’t stand the thought of Becca spending one night with that scumbag. Especially when it was Keely’s fault that the money hadn’t been there on time. When she’d shown up at Aphrodistic asking about Becca, one of the bouncers had ushered her into a dimly lit back room. She’d known she was screwed when she heard the lock engage. Thankfully, he hadn’t thought to check the window.
    Acutely aware of how high the stakes were, she kissed the stranger with even more intensity. She couldn’t let those men from the club, those thugs, get ahold of her, otherwise where would that leave Becca? It wouldn’t do either of them any good if they were both being held against their will. Plus, this was all her fault. She needed to make this kiss work.
    Hitching a knee, she hooked her leg around the man’s hip. It shocked the hell out of her when he cupped his hands under her butt and pulled her other leg up, wrapping them both around his waist.
    “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips.
    “You’re welcome,” he said, his low, rough voice reverberating through her body like a tuning fork.
    Her pursuers drew closer. She could feel them looking in this direction. Instinctively, she put up a mental shield, sending invisible jolts of electricity racing down her arms.
    The stranger’s body shifted slightly.
    He hadn’t felt that, had he? No, he was reaching for something.
    Without breaking the kiss, he turned them so that her back was against the wall. His large frame now stood between her and those men.
    Was he protecting her?
    Something flashed close to her face.
    He had a knife!
    Panic and confusion shot through her.
    “Shhh. This isn’t for you.” He ran a thumb over the pulse point on her neck.
    His touch was intoxicating and she felt herself relax, although she didn’t drop her guard. Almost immediately, he hauled her closer and deepened the kiss, stroking his hand through her hair. He pressed her mouth wider and slipped his tongue inside, acting as if she was his to take. Heat seared through her and desire pooled low in her belly.
    Oh God. What was going on? This was all just for show, and yet it felt so… real .
    Her heart pounded furiously as the two men jogged past them on the sidewalk, not more than a few feet away. She couldn’t tell if her physical reaction was entirely because of them or this darkly compelling man she was kissing.
    The moment her pursuers disappeared around the corner, the man took a step backwards and released her. The blade he’d held a moment ago was gone. She disentangled herself, feeling suddenly awkward.
    As much as she’d like to duck her head and leave, she knew he deserved some sort of explanation, even if she couldn’t tell him the truth.
    Now that she was staring up at him from a distance greater than the length of an eyelash, her breath caught in her throat. He stood a good head taller than her, with sleek raven hair pulled into a low bun, warm olive skin and the most intense gray eyes she’d ever seen. He wore a black leather jacket, a plaid shirt underneath, low-slung jeans and black boots with thick soles. If someone were to ask her what two plus two was right now, she’d probably tell them her middle name.
    “Um…thanks. I really appreciate…what you did.” Sure, he’d just saved her ass, but that was, quite possibly, the most amazing kiss in the history of the world.
    “What the hell was that?” he asked, frowning.
    It felt as if the balloon she was holding onto had just been popped. He was pissed. She searched his starkly handsome face. Yeah, definitely angry. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d ticked off someone with her impulsiveness. Besides, what kind of chick goes around kissing strange men without so much as a hello, anyway?
    She opened her mouth to explain