Free CAUGHT: A Hitman Romance by Stella Noir

she seems to enjoy it.
    “I made a clumsy first move on you,” she whispers. “And you took what I offered.”
    I don’t know what she is trying to say with this and chose to ignore her little banter. The night is getting late and things need to get moving.
    “Had enough fresh air?” I want to know.
    She nods. “I think I’m good.”
    “Would it be considered unprofessional if you went home with one of the patrons?” I ask.
    Of course, I don’t care about that, but I know she does.
    She hesitates for a moment, looking up at me with shy questions written across her face, before she breaks into a sexy little smirk.
    “Not if no one notices.”
    She tries to be coy, but there is an undeniable uncertainty radiating from her.
    “Would you mind if I called us a cab?” I ask, trying to be the gentleman she needs me to be to be convinced. It takes all my efforts to turn into this person. The nice one. The careful one. I loathe it, but understand the necessity for it. Years of playing with the bad kids have made it hard for me to act like the agreeable person I need to be for this new life.
    But I know I have it in me. I can be the good guy, if need be.
    She gulps, still enclosed in my embrace, her dark eyes switching back and forth between me and the city landscape beneath us. Something is holding her back or even frightening her.
    It seems like I have to make this decision for her, so I take a step back, creating a little distance between us before I grab her hand and turn around, pulling her behind me as I make my way toward the door.
    “I take your silence as a yes,” I announce, when we reach the elevator.
    She stands next to me, weirdly quiet. Her hand is soft in my hard grip, weak and passive. I don’t like it at all. I feel as if she is fading away from me, and I have no idea what caused this sudden change in her.
    The doors to the elevator open surprisingly quickly. We step inside, and I notice her turning around to me as soon as the doors close. I reciprocate her silent gaze and the small elevator is soon filled with an uncomfortable tension while she stares up at me.
    I’m alarmed.
    Does she recognize me after all? Did I miss something? Did she lure me away from the group so her friend can call the police and have them wait for me outside the venue on the street? Is that why she was so taken aback when I decided to go up on the roof instead?
    “What is it?” I ask, sounding harsher than intended. I cannot hide my sudden suspicion toward her. “Are you scared?”
    She shakes her head.
    “No,” she whispers. “It’s just that… I’ve never done this before.”
    “Done what before?” I probe, even though I’m pretty sure I know what she is talking about.
    Of course, she blushes and lowers her eyes.
    “You know… go home with a guy I just met,” she mumbles, hardly audible to my ears.
    Same old story. I’m fairly certain that girls like her are schooled to keep up this facade of the good girl. They don’t want to be the easy one, the girl who gives herself away just like that.
    But she also doesn’t seem to know how to make a guy fight for her. Her hesitation is just an act, something she does as to not lose her reputation—it doesn’t reflect what she really thinks or wants.
    At least that is what I suspect. Trying to read her turns out to be a lot more fun than I thought. She is so closed up, so careful and somewhat contradictory.
    Even if it weren’t for the danger that is attached to her, I would want to make her mine, at least for the night.
    “I don’t believe you,” I say to challenge her.
    She looks up to me and breaks into a shy smile. “You probably shouldn’t.”
    Her words send another stream of suspicion through me, but when we leave the elevator and walk out to the street through the lobby, there is no one waiting for us. No police, no alarm going off. Her shy girl act must be solely based on her attraction to me.
    Flattering.
    As of right now, I have two places that I