Free Back in Black by Lori Foster

because I don’t. I’m not a damned coddler.”
    Droll, she shook her head. “No, Drew, I doubt anyone would accuse you of coddling.”
    He shot her a quick look, then tried to relax. “Know what really pisses me off?”
    Inexplicably, Gillian found herself amused with Drew’s mood. Like a surly bear, he growled and snarled . . . but he was still going after Dickey to help him.
    Drew Black’s bark, she realized, was much worse than his bite.
    Smiling, relaxed despite his sizzling temper, she said, “Tell me.”
    “We got interrupted.”
    Alarm bells went off in Gillian’s head. She could think of nothing to say.
    Holding the steering wheel in an edgy, frustrated way, Drew picked up where they’d left off as if there’d been no interruption at all. “Let me get this straight. If we weren’t working together, we’d be burning up the sheets?”
    How could she have forgotten, even for a second, how unpredictable the man could be? Gillian fidgeted in her seat. “It’s . . . more than our working relationship, Drew.”
    “What, then?” Again he glanced at her, at all of her, before returning his attention to the road. “And don’t tell me you don’t want me. I have plenty of bad credentials, but obtuseness isn’t one of them.”
    More fidgeting. “No . . . I mean, yes, I do want you.”
    Good Lord, why would she admit such a thing?
    Gillian rushed into explanations. “But let’s face it,
    Drew, you’re known as a womanizer, and I don’t want to be just another notch on your belt.” All of his tension seemed to have eased away. “How do I know I won’t be a notch on your belt?”
    She gave him a long look.
    “Lady, you know how to tease. Admit it. You look at a guy and you have him drooling in a heartbeat.”
    Warm pleasure spread through her. Did he really think she could be so effective in seduction? “I don’t see you drooling.”
    He made a rude sound. “I’m more interested in figuring out how to have you than daydreaming about it. And speaking of that, let me make sure I understand the scenario. You don’t want your personal or professional reputation tainted by being with me. Do I have that right?”
    Hearing him say it aloud like that made it sound really . . . horrid. Gillian’s face went hot at her lack of sensitivity. “Drew . . .”
    “Just work me with here, okay?” Far from wounded by her reservations, he asked, “What if I swear not to tell anyone? It could be our own, very private fling. No one has to know, right?” He took a left into a busier business area. “And Gillian, for the record, my word is good.”
    She believed him. He might be many things, but he wasn’t a liar. Drew told you what he thought, no holds barred. He had no reason to lie.
    “Think about it—an exciting, illicit affair without repercussions of any kind. Sounds tempting, huh?”
    Her thoughts scrambled and her heart pounded hard. Was she actually considering this?
    Yes, she was.
    Drew didn’t let up. “Why not live a little, you know? I’ll make it worthwhile, scout’s honor.”
    “You were never a scout.”
    “How would you know?”
    Another misconception on her part? “Were you?”
    “No.”
    Of course he wasn’t. Drew Black would never be able to follow rules. Could she handle that? Gillian bit her lip in indecision.
    “Come on, Gillian,” he encouraged. “What do you say?”
    She drew in a deep breath. “I say . . .” She looked at Drew and gave up. “If no one will know, then there’s really no reason to wait until we aren’t working together.”
    His expression was priceless, a mixture of surprise, anticipation, and red-hot heat. Then his mood darkened as he put on his turn signal. “Talk about fucked-up timing.” Pulling into the small lot behind the tattoo parlor, he parked and killed the engine.
    Before Gillian had time to blink, he unhooked her seat belt and pulled her half over the console to kiss her silly.
    By the time he finished with her, the windows were steamed