Free Dark Knight: A Loveswept Romance Classic by Donna Kauffman Page A

feral than charming. “Yeah, but you didn’t, did you?” He leaned closer. She bit down on a groan of pain. “I’m growing on you, aren’t I?”
    “Like a cancer,” she bit out through clenched teeth.
    “Where are the keys?”
    She glared at him.
    His smile faded. “Considering your current position, I’d say this now qualifies as ‘need to know’ information. I think I’ve made it clear what lengths I’m willing to go to.”
    Scottie opened her mouth to shoot a reply, then stopped. He had, in fact, made it clear, but not in the way he thought he had.
    “You knew I wouldn’t shoot you,” she said. His stony stare confirmed it. “What kind of ‘lengths’ is that then?”
    “Because you don’t know that
I
won’t shoot
you
.”
    “All the more reason for me not to give up the keys.”
    “I don’t think you understand the situation here.”
    “Oh, I’m real clear on the situation. You’re the deluded one.” She pushed a bit at his weight, grunting with the effort. “Damn, but you weigh a ton.”
    “It’s the chains,” he said pointedly.
    No, it wasn’t, she thought, remembering how he’d felt on top of her the previous day in the bedroom. She’d remembered that and many other moments, in excruciating detail, throughout a long, sleepless night. But when he’d settled between her legs that time, she’d—She switched off that mental rerun.
    “Then I guess we’re at a standstill,” he said, tossing her words literally back in her face.
    “You won’t win this one, Logan.”
    “I’ve done pretty damn good so far.”
    She tilted her head just enough to run a pointed gaze over his chains, then back at him. “Oh yeah, you’ve done real well.”
    “I’m on top, aren’t I?”
    “For now.”
    “Face it, princess, you’re having a hard time containing me.” He grinned when she glowered at him. “Why don’t we call it a draw now, before it gets embarrassing?”
    She forced a saccharine smile, ignoring the sharp jabs of pain poking into her at every angle. “For who?”
    He heaved an exaggerated sigh and settled his weight more heavily against her, cutting off all but a tiny fraction of what air she had left. “Well, I’m comfortableright here.” He swung his head close, until his breath mingled with hers. “How ’bout you?”
    Scottie swiftly reviewed her options. There weren’t many, but it was difficult all the same. She tried to convince herself it was lack of oxygen to the brain, but the fact that she diverted her gaze from his told her otherwise. The man didn’t fill space, he consumed it.
    She pulled in what little air she could, adopted her best wounded pride expression, and lifted her gaze back to his. “Uncle.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. Nice touch, she thought.
    “As in
The Man From
?”
    Her palms itched to smack the smug smile from his face, but she maintained her strategically planned demeanor. “As in you win.” Her scowl wasn’t altogether feigned. “Bullies always do, right?”
    His gaze narrowed. He studied her closely with obvious distrust. He was good. She was better. “No tricks,” she lied. “I know a lost cause when I see one.” She looked pointedly at him. “I gave it my best shot.” She tried a shrug.
    His wary expression remained. She waited, wondering if she’d overplayed it.
    “What are you proposing?” he finally asked.
    She tried to keep the victorious gleam from her eyes. “I’ll unlock the damn chains.”
    “Just like that?”
    “I wouldn’t say having”—she struggled fruitlessly against him again, adding a pained gasp—“the life squeezed out of me by two tons of chained male is ‘just like that.’ I simply decided that you’re right.”
    He raised his eyebrows.
    She grunted and pushed at him again with herknees. “And like you said, chained or not, with all this snow, you can’t go anywhere. You’re still where I need you to be.”
    “All true.”
    “So I’m not exactly losing. I consider it a