Free Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) by Michelle Betham

came out, and she squinted slightly to see who it was, just making out Sheriff Bailey as he made for his car, driving off quickly and quietly.
    Frowning, she continued to walk towards the office, standing still again as another figure came out, pulling the door closed behind him. Ben. But, for some reason, her feet wouldn’t seem to move. She was rooted to the spot as she watched him walk away, his head down, his hands in his pockets.
    ‘Ben?’ Her voice was little more than a whisper as he headed towards her, so she was surprised when he lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers.
    ‘How long have you been there?’
    ‘What was Michael doing here?’
    ‘Michael?’
    ‘I saw him leave. Just now.’
    Ben took her by the wrist, pulling her around the corner, into the shadows. ‘You spying on me?’ His voice carried an almost sinister edge that sent a cold shiver up Mia’s spine.
    ‘Of course I’m not spying on you. Jesus, Ben, cut out the paranoia, OK? What the hell is wrong with you lately?’
    He pushed her back against the wall, moving in closer, close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. ‘Nothing is wrong, Mia, I keep telling you that.’
    ‘And I still think you’re lying to me.’
    ‘What did I ask you to do, huh? I asked you to trust me, to know that I’m dealing with it. And yet, you’re still hassling me, still bitching about it, and I really don’t need your shit. Not on top of everything else.’
    ‘I hate not knowing what’s going on, Ben. I hate not knowing if you’re gonna be safe, if you’re even gonna get out of whatever this is alive…’
    His mouth was on hers before she had a chance to take another breath, pressing down hard, his lips practically bruising hers with the force of the kiss. But then, almost as if something or someone else had taken the reins, the kiss became slower, gentler, his hands on her hips pulling her closer until their bodies touched.
    ‘I don’t need any more crap today, Mia. Do you understand? What I need is for you to quit with the whining, cut out the nagging, and let me do what I need to do without worrying about you . Are you listening to me here, sweetheart?’
    ‘Fuck you!’ she hissed, pulling his hands away from her and stepping out of his grasp, but he was too fast for her; too strong. And in one swift movement she didn’t have time to see coming he’d pinned her back against the wall, his face once more right up in hers.
    ‘I need you to back off, Mia. I really need you to do that, do you hear me?’
    Her eyes bored deep into his, the strangest of sensations taking over, filling her with an almost warped excitement mixed with just a hint of fear.
    ‘Do you understand what I’m saying, baby?’
    She didn’t. Not really. But it was like someone else was working her, like invisible strings had somehow been attached and every movement she was making now, they were all involuntary. So even though she was nodding, she couldn’t get her head around any of this. Where was the man she’d fallen in love with just a few weeks ago? When had everything changed; when had he changed?
    ‘Good.’ He smiled, gently stroking her cheek with his fingertips, his eyes still locked with hers. ‘That’s good.’
    ‘Ben…’
    ‘Ssh…’ he whispered, still stroking her cheek, his fingers lowering to skim over her collarbone, and it was a few seconds more before she realized his other hand was slowly pulling her panties down. Why wasn’t she stopping him? Because she wasn’t altogether sure that she wanted this. ‘It’s all gonna be OK, Mia, I promised you that, didn’t I?’ His mouth rested against hers as he continued to push her panties down over her thighs. ‘I promised you it was all gonna be OK…’
    ‘And like I said, Ben…’ Finding that inner strength she’d had to dig up every time she’d needed it with Lennie, she took hold of his hand and yanked it away, pulling her panties back up. ‘Fuck you!’
    ‘Jesus, Mia…!’
    She