Free Deadly Intent (Linked Inc. Book 1) by Kate Allenton Page A

experience?” She glanced up at him with a raised brow.
    “Nay, luv. Wear it as a badge of survival. Whoever it belongs to will think twice about trying again.”
    “I like the way you think, big guy.” She patted his chest. “Kind of like a ’screw you’ to the killer.”
    Her words made him smile, even though his heart clenched. He’d thought she was here to play out the curse, but what if the death the curse alluded to was hers? He bit back the anger and clenched his fists, vowing that the killer wouldn’t get another chance.
     

 
     
    Chapter 10

     
     
    Collin and Angus checked the Town Car’s brakes before Collin sent Angus into town to pick up Quinn’s things and an order Collin had placed at a small boutique for additional clothes. Silence hung between them as she tried to process what had happened. She’d almost died, and the killer seemed unconcerned about extra casualties. No one was safe.
    He’d escorted her to the room to shower and change, like the personal security of a celebrity, before disappearing to make some calls.  After her shower, she walked out into the room to find her luggage and bags of new clothes sitting on the bed.
    Quinn’s vow to solve the mystery weighed heavy on her chest. If she didn’t, someone could get hurt. Her lips pinched together as she rubbed her neck, replaying everything in her mind that had happened to try and figure out what, if anything, she’d missed.
    She was standing in her bra and underwear, absently digging through her suitcase when the door flew open, pulling her from her thoughts. Collin entered the room. His gaze met hers and dropped from her eyes to her shoulders to her breasts, slowly and seductively sliding down the remainder of her body. The air around her seemed to dance with sparks from an invisible electric charge, and she felt a ripple of excitement. “Do you like what you see?”
    “I…uh. I’m sorry to interrupt. I should have knocked.” Collin crossed the threshold with a tray in his hands and shut the door behind him. She should have kicked him out, or clutched clothes to cover her nearly naked body, but all her inhibitions had diminished with her two near-death experiences. Who was she kidding? Inhibitions ranked right up there on her list with vegetables. She didn’t like either.
    He watched her seductively, his aura pulsing with need, as he crossed the room to sit the tray on the dresser. He cleared his throat to speak. “Mavis heard about our mishap and wanted me to bring these up. Her way of apologizing for the accident.”
    “She wasn’t responsible.” Quinn took a cookie off the plate and bit into it. “But I’ll never turn away her cookies.” She smiled and ate the cookie while pulling some clothes from her bag.
    Collin moved behind her. He rested a warm palm on her arm, sending a shock of need and desire coiling through her body. In any other place, she might have thrown herself at him. The thought had crossed her mind.
    He placed a tender kiss on her neck, making her sigh in pleasure. The prolonged anticipation to see what he’d do next was almost unbearable. Her pulse quickened in response to the feel of his lips. Had it been so long since she’d had her needs sated?
    “Is that your way of apologizing for the accident?”
    “Aye, you’re beautiful, Quinn.”
    Quinn licked her dry lips. His words sent a tingle of need coursing through her body. She craved more, silently wondering how far he’d let things go.
    “I almost died twice in your country,” she teased, hoping he’d take the hint.
    His hands moved to her hips, and he pulled her flush against his body, wrapping her in a seductive warmth. His heated breath traveled up the column of her neck as he placed kisses against her skin.
    She knew the Highlander had a brain, and from the feel of him, he had a lot more notable attributes she would like to explore before saying goodbye to his motherland.
    Quinn dropped the clothes back into her bag. She didn’t