Free Waking Up by Arianna Hart

rely on a psychologist? What’s she going to do—talk the gun out of the bad guy’s hands?
    But as the situation gets more dangerous, Jane shows strength he never expected. Now Lex isn’t so sure that she isn’t the right woman for the job—and his heart.
     
    Enjoy the following excerpt for Leap of Faith:
    “Would you slow down? I’m going to fall if you keep pushing me like that.”
    “Then move faster.”
    She practically ran through the shoe department to a door marked “Employees Only.”
    “We can’t go in here. It says employees only.”
    “So arrest me. We need to get out of here without our buddies in the Caddy seeing us. It won’t be long before they get sick of waiting and come into the store, if they haven’t already.”
    Lex led her to a garage door that was partially open. Gas fumes and cigarette smoke lingered in the air.
    “Wait here while I make sure they don’t have someone covering the back door. If you hear shots, run like hell and scream your head off. They won’t try anything with this many witnesses.”
    Gunshots? Again?
    Dropping his pile of purchases, Lex pressed her behind a forklift and slipped out the door. A shiver danced down her spine and she clutched the packages closer to her chest.
    What on earth was happening to her?
    Her heart raced and sweat dripped down her face as she imagined a million catastrophes. What if he left her here? What if he got shot? Worse, what if she got shot? What if right this very second someone was coming to get her?
    A whimper tried to claw its way out of her throat but she bit it back. How long had he been gone? She strained her ears to pick up any little noise but all she heard was the rushing of traffic in the distance.
    Her knees almost buckled when a car pulled up to the docking bay. Lex burst out of the front seat and charged toward her.
    “Move it, Janey. I knocked one of the guys out but he could come to any second. The other one is in the store right now.”
    Her head still spinning from fear, Jane ran as fast as she could in flip-flops over the dew-covered pavement. Lex had already thrown his bundles in the back seat and motioned for her to hurry up.
    “C’mon! Get in.”
    A pebble jabbed the arch of her foot through the thin rubber but she ignored it as she practically fell into the front seat of the huge car.
    She wasn’t even buckled when Lex put the car in gear and crept out of the driveway.
    “Keep down.” He pushed her head next to his thigh, crushing the bags she still held to her chest.
    “Are they after us?”
    “Not yet. When we didn’t come out the front door, the big guy went into the store. I waited until he was in before I got you. If luck is on our side for once he won’t find his missing partner right away and that’ll buy us some time.”
    “So can I sit up?”
    “Not yet. They’ll be looking for a blonde so I want to keep your head out of sight as long as possible.”
    “This is vastly uncomfortable.” The seatbelt cut into her stomach and her face was pressed just inches from his jean-clad leg. She could smell the musky odor of sweat and man and it did strange things to her insides.
    “Not as uncomfortable as a bullet in the head.”
    Good point. She wiggled around to try to find a better position. Her face brushed against his thigh and he let out a groan.
    “Could you please keep still?”
    “I’m sorry. I’m doing the best I can. I’ve never had to lie across the front seat of a car before.”
    “What a shock.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” She tried to lift her head up to get a better look at him but he pushed her head back down.
    “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”
    He was laughing at her. She could hear it in his voice. “Just because I don’t run from gun-wielding lunatics on a regular basis is no reason to make fun of me, you brute. I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances.”
    “I’m not making fun of you. Really.”
    “It sure sounds like you are.”
    A gust