Free Seduced by the Enemy (Blaze, 41) by Jamie Denton Page A

open the window. After removing the screen, he tried to hand it to her, but she could only stare at him, unsure what she was supposed to do next. In all her life she’d never dreamed she’d literally be running from the law. She lived within a certain realm of reality, followed the rules no matter what it cost her. Fugitive from justice fell nowhere near the parameters of her life.
    â€œHere.”
    His harshly spoken whisper snapped her back to the immediacy of their situation. She took the screen and laid it against the outside of the bathtub.
    Jared poked his head out the window for a better look into the alley. Apparently he deemed the coast clear, because he hoisted himself up, had his upper body through the window and was pulling his legs through before dropping silently on the other side.
    Seconds ticked by like hours as she waited for him to give her the signal. She held her breath, listening, but the only sound she heard was the erratic beat of her own heart pounding in her ears like a frantic drum.
    What if the cop outside learned she was in the motelroom? What was she supposed to do if he came bursting through the door? Make a dive for the window like the fugitive she wasn’t? She had no experience being on the wrong side of the law, and hadn’t a clue about proper criminal protocol.
    A hysterical laugh bubbled up inside her, but she tamped it down. Proper criminal protocol? She was definitely losing her mind. The stress had just about shoved her over the edge. If she didn’t hold on, she’d land with a fatal thud.
    Finally, Jared’s face appeared in the window. “Hand me the duffel.” She jumped at the sound of his whispered words, but hurried to do as he asked. After the bag, she passed him her briefcase, then the window screen, followed by her shoes. She needed to balance herself on the edge of the bathtub and she couldn’t very well do that in a pair of high-heeled pumps.
    She didn’t know which would be worse, breaking her neck or getting caught.
    With a deep breath and a desperate shot of courage she didn’t even know she possessed, she balanced herself on the tub and reached for the window ledge. Sweat beaded on her upper lip as she concentrated on hoisting herself through the window as Jared had done. It took her three tries before she made it high enough to gain sufficient purchase to pull her upper body through the small opening.
    A loud pounding on the door startled her and she nearly lost her balance.
    Oh, God. They’d been found.
    â€œCome on,” Jared urged. “Twist your hips and I’ll bring you down.”
    The pounding on the door continued. It didn’t even come close to competing with the pounding of her heart.
    Her arms trembled from the pressure of holding herself in the window opening while she tried to twist her body as Jared had instructed. She’d never been a tomboy as a kid, never climbed a tree, never sneaked out a window to meet a boy and certainly never came in after curfew. She was out of her element and had no choice but to trust Jared.
    The truth of her situation hit her hard and she fought down a surge of anger. Trust? Jared Romine was the last man on earth who deserved her trust. He had a history of letting her down. How was she supposed to put her life in his hands and believe that he’d fix everything that had gone so utterly and horribly wrong? Unfortunately, she had no other choice, unless she wanted to slide back inside the bathroom and open the door to the motel room, turning herself over as if she really were the criminal they made her out to be.
    The pounding on the door stopped. Had they gone away? Or were they forcing the motel manager to let them into the room? Well, she wasn’t about to wait around to find out.
    Operating on pure adrenaline, she conjured up a burst of strength and did exactly what Jared had told her to do. His hands were on her waist before she completely turned, and he