Free Robin in the Hood (Robbin' Hearts Series Book 1) by Diane J. Reed Page A

troubles.”
    “Like that whopping three-hundred-fifty bucks you got from Home and Hearth?” he taunted, shaking his head. “High roller, Silver Spoon.”
    Boy, oh boy—I was pissed off now.
    “For your information, that three-fifty was better than what you hauled in, as I recall. And if it weren’t for the Miata I, uh—borrowed—you wouldn’t have gotten the seven hundred, either. So don’t be callin’ me Silver Spoon. I’ve earned my keep.”
    “Then what should I call you?” Creek interrupted, leaning in closer to me. I could feel his eyes traveling over my ridiculously too-tight clothes, lingering on the tender curves they revealed, as if they’d been freshly picked just for him. Then the warmth of his breath brushed against my ear, sending every nerve ending I had on high alert.
    “Jail bait?” he whispered.
    Until that very moment, I didn’t think it was scientifically possible for every single skin cell in my body to blush in unison. Nevertheless, I’m quite sure that even my bare midriff had turned a bright, cherry red.
    Dammit! Creek had totally derailed me with that one. But I still had some fight left in me.
    “Isn’t that what you wanted?” I replied, slipping up my hand to skim the scar on his bicep. “After all,
y
o
u
brought me these threads.”
    There it was—a slight pink to his cheeks again. And I was all ready for round two, when I saw Creek’s blue eyes narrow a little.
    “Look, your little private-school getup was a dead give away,” he stated flatly. “And so was that shiny, red convertible—it had an electronic tracer. You’re lucky the cops hadn’t caught up with you yet, Hot Pants.”
    I blushed in equal measure.
    “But I do kinda get your point,” he said grudgingly. “We both have folks to look after here, and we’re the only breadwinners they’ve got left. So listen up. I’ll try giving you a test run. There’s a small store with an ATM that has lousy surveillance up the road. I’ve been casing it for weeks, and it’s an easy hit. With any luck, we could get a decent haul—if we play our cards right and don’t use weapons while we’re still young enough not to face federal time.”
    F-Federal time? I thought, queasy at the very sound of the term. That’s right, I realized, this is hard-core crime we’re talking about.
    Up until now, it had all been kind of a lark for me—a rollicking daytrip away from the iron chains that had kept me imprisoned at Pinnacle. But with all of the deep shit my father was in right now, and the fact that I couldn’t even qualify for a job that didn’t include peddling drugs or turning tricks, suddenly robbery seemed like the cleanest option.
    “You’re on, partner!” I burst emphatically, before I could dare to let myself chicken out. I mean, what other choices did I really have? “But from now on, you call me Robin.”
    “Sure,” Creek replied casually, even though he was staring me down with his glacial blue eyes to test my courage. “So meet me back in these woods tomorrow morning at six o’clock, sharp. No more sleeping in till noon. We’ve got work to do.”
    He turned and walked away.
    And I absolutely hated myself for thinking it, but even his back side was beautiful.
    Just as he’d entered a really dark patch of shadows, and I thought he might slip away entirely, he hesitated for a moment and glanced back.
    “By the way,” he said with steel in his voice, “I man the getaway vehicle from here on out. Got that? ’Cause you drive like shit.”

Chapter 7
     
    By the time I found my way back to the clearing at Turtle Shores, I was still shaking. Holy Moses, near as I could tell, I’d just closed a deal with the Devil! He was a drop-dead gorgeous Devil, I had to admit, and I think that’s what scared me even more.
    But if I didn’t do something serious about my cash flow, these trashy clothes I had on weren’t just going to be a trailer park joke—they’d be the story of my life. And I’d probably