Free Taming The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 7) by Mallory Crowe

herself up and down. She really didn’t need Rourke talking down to her. Literally. “It was dark out, in the middle of the woods. What would you or any police officer have done?”
    Rourke was quiet and she knew she had him there. Even the best trackers had trouble in the middle of the night.
    “So who was it?” he asked.
    Cali stared at him, wide-eyed. “I don’t know! It’s not like people shoot at me every day.”
    “What about that guy texting you? He didn’t seem like your biggest fan.”
    Cali felt the blood drain from her face. Of course he wouldn’t have forgotten that. “If he wanted me dead, I’d be dead,” she said with her now dry throat.
    “But this guy didn’t want you dead. He’d have to be an expert marksman to make those shots while you were moving.”
    “Only one was while I was moving,” she said weakly. “The second tire was shot while I was stopped.”
    “Mother—” Rourke broke off and turned away from her as he looked out over the water. Once he appeared to have collected himself, he twisted back around. “And you really didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”
    “For all I knew, you were the one who shot at me. You’re not exactly my biggest fan.”
    He tightened his lips as he glared down at her. “So now you’re accusing me, is that it?”
    She shrugged and tried to keep her cool. She didn’t think Rourke was the type to hide in the shadows while he did his dirty work, but she was just mad enough to make him sweat a bit. “Is it really such a strange thing to think? One minute you’re kissing me, then you’re hauling me off your property, then you’re warning me away from you and then you’re kissing me again! You’re hardly the measure of sanity here.”
    “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
    “I’m aware,” she said, unapologetically.
    “But you’re not nearly as strong as you pretend to be, are you?”
    She squared her jaw and refused to back down. “What can I say? You have an uncanny ability to find my vulnerable spots. But don’t think I can’t find yours.”
    He nodded. His dark eyes raked over her as though sizing her up. “So I’m worth two million dollars to you?”
    “You’re worth two million to your brothers.”
    “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m not going back to New York with you. Ever. I’m also not giving you any money. But you and I are going to have dinner at the one Italian restaurant in town in front of everyone tonight so they stop giving me shit, and, if it makes you feel better, you can tell yourself you can use the time to convince me to talk to Luke.”
    “Meeting with me in public is rather risky. It would be much too easy for me to cause a scene.”
    “I swear to God, Cali, if you keep pushing me, you’re not going to like the consequences.”
    Considering she was already dealing with the consequences of pissing off a military-trained murderer, she was willing to take whatever Rourke had to dish out. She stepped closer until she was just an inch away from Rourke, almost touching him front to front. “Why, Rourke,” she said sweetly. “I’d love to go out to dinner with you. What time would you like to pick me up?”
    He leaned in just the tiniest bit to show he wasn’t intimidated. “I’ll be here at seven sharp. I expect you to look your best.”
    “I’ll wear my cutest skirt for you.” She smiled.
    He crooked his head as he looked down her body. “I can take you, Cali Carson.”
    For a second, she didn’t know whether he was talking about in a fight or in bed. Hell, at this point he was probably talking about both, the lines were so muddled between them. “Keep telling yourself that, Devereaux.”

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    Rourke bent down as he studied the impression in the dirt around him. He didn’t think he’d be able to find anything considering how fast the leaves had been falling from the trees the past few weeks, but he’d hit the jackpot.
    The sun had shone just right to