Taming the Lone Wolff(18)
The mournful hoot of a nearby owl made the hair stand up on her arms. In the darkest hour of the night, it was easy to let an active imagination run wild. With her hand fixed on her gun, she inched her way forward. The safety was on. She wasn’t stupid. But she could get off a shot quickly if she needed to.
She took one more step. In an instant, hard masculine arms came around her from behind, her gun was wrestled from her grip and a big hand clamped down over her mouth. Her muffled scream was nothing more than a whisper in the night. She fought wildly, trying to free her arms.
What must have been only seconds played out in agonizing slow motion.
And then a very familiar voice rumbled at her ear. “Shut up, damn it. You’ll wake the whole house.”
Her body went limp in relief. Larkin dragged her like a rag doll to the garden shed at the rear of the building. Pulling her inside, he shut the door and yanked the chain to illuminate a single lightbulb, all the while cursing a blue streak as he checked the safety on her gun and laid it aside.
He glared at her. “What in the hell are you doing?” he demanded, veins standing out in his neck. “I could have killed you.”
Fury replaced the knowledge that she wasn’t in the hands of an ax murderer. “The alarm went off in the house. I told you I’m the one who checks on it.”
His eyebrows rose to his hairline. “You hired me. Remember?” The thumb he jabbed toward his chest emphasized his anger.
Where did he get off chastising her? “I didn’t know you were prowling around.”
“I told you I’d take care of things.”
“Tomorrow. You said tomorrow.” They were both yelling in hoarse, muted syllables that nevertheless escalated in volume.
He scraped his hands over his head. “My team is already here. We were running some preliminary drills to see how much we have to do to lock this place down.”
“You should have told me. You should have introduced them. These women and children are my responsibility. I won’t be kept in the dark.” She was so mad, she shoved him in the chest. It was like pushing against granite. Yanking her hands back, she wrapped her arms around her waist, trembling wildly.
Larkin stared straight at her, remorse in his gaze. “You’re right,” he said softly. “I should have. It won’t happen again. In my defense, none of my clients has ever been as invested in the process as you are. I’m sorry I didn’t keep you informed.”
His genuine contrition deflated her indignation. “Was it you who set off the alarm?”
He nodded. “Probably. To be honest, I assumed you had turned off the monitor in your bedroom now that I’m here. I was intent on bringing my people up to speed or I would have mentioned it.”
Adrenaline winnowed away, leaving her spent and shaky. “I thought you were going to sleep.”
“I said that to get away from you.”
A lump lodged in her throat. “Charming.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“What am I supposed to think?”
“Damn it, Winnie.” He stopped, ground his jaw and stared at the floor. Finally he spoke in a voice that sounded like rough steel. “I find you attractive. That complicates things.” His eyes were impossible to read in the harsh shadows.