Free Soft Target by Mia Kay

better.”
    “I used to wipe Max Caldwell’s dirty ass,” she grumbled in a whisper.
    “I hope he was much, much younger,” Gray teased.
    Despite her pallid complexion, she snorted a laugh. “Much. But that doesn’t change that I’m used to him going to bed early, and to telling him what to do.”
    “Him too?” He teased. “Try not doing it. Just this once.”
    Taking a deep breath, she licked her lips and nodded. “Okay.”
    The moisture on her bottom lip made his tongue twitch. Her hair glowed in the sunlight streaming through the windows, and his fingers curved with the memory of holding her. He wanted to spend the day with her, talking to her like this and making her laugh. She licked her lips again, and his entire body tingled. He wanted to do more than talk to her.
    But he had to keep her safe. “I’ll call an alarm company. It won’t take long to install a system.”
    This time, she shook her head. “I don’t want to be a prisoner here.”
    Gray snatched the rose from the bar and waggled it at her. As its white petals flopped on its wilted stem, her eyes went glassy. Guilt singed the skin at his collar, but he kept his mouth shut.
    Finally she nodded. “No cameras in the apartment, okay?”
    “Sensors on the windows and the doors only. But there will be a camera on the stairs,” he asserted. He and Glen had spent part of yesterday morning mapping out what they’d need. They’d expected it to be more difficult to convince her. They’d gotten lucky—
    You’re an asshole, Harper.
    He motioned for the police to rejoin them, and Max wrapped the candy jar in a plastic bag Maggie retrieved from the bar. “It won’t help. My prints are all over it. I couldn’t resist touching it.” Color finally returned to her cheeks as she blushed. “It was pretty.”
    Rooted to his seat, Gray’s heart twisted. It was a gift that hadn’t scared her, one she’d thought he’d given her. And she’d liked it.
    She looked at the clock. “It’s almost noon, Gray. Isn’t Nate expecting you?”
    Her question was no sooner spoken than the front door swung open and Nate strode into the room. “What happened?”
    Wonder twins.
    Gray briefed him, trying to keep it to dry facts. Those were always less scary. Still, when he finished, Nate’s eyes were just as wide as his sister’s.
    “No wonder my skin was crawling,” he muttered. He turned and stared hard at Maggie. “You’re staying with me tonight.”
    Predictably, she shook her head. “This is my home, and the guys are expecting—”
    “Fuck what they expect,” Gray snarled. “This isn’t a secure location. Close it.”
    “He’s right, Mags,” Nate pitched in.
    She looked between them, her mouth falling open before she wheeled on Nate. “Is he a bodyguard? Did you hire a bodyguard after I told you how—”
    “Ease up. He’s worried. We’re all worried.”
    “Nathan Ronald Mathis, you tell me—”
    “If I was going to hire a bodyguard, I’d hire someone bigger and stronger than a tax lawyer, Margaret Anne.”
    Again, Gray stepped between them. Looking at Maggie, he recognized the slant of her chin and the tension in her jaw. If this became orders and commands, she’d fight them tooth and nail. But if it were questions and negotiations, if she felt in control, she’d be easier to handle. He knew, because he was the same way.
    He could smell her perfume on his shirt, and he wanted to see her smile again. As much as he wanted to tell her the truth, he didn’t want to take anything else away from her, including her control.
    “Please, Maggie.” He softened his voice, took her hand and hoped she’d forgive him for manipulating her. “Close.”
    “I’ll get a substitute bartender,” she countered. “And I’ll stay with Nate tonight. But I’ll come back tomorrow.”
    Gray nodded. “Let Max come up while you pack. Okay?”
    Sighing, she stood and walked away with Max on her heels.
    The three remaining men stood silently until the