Free Never Give You Up by Shady Grace Page B

after all, as long as he had cell service to google these wilderness tasks so he didn’t look like a total jackass in front of her.
    “Look, I know this trip of mine was sort of sprung on you at the last second, but I’d love to spend some time with you. On your terms.”
    Mary looked up, her smile shy, uncertain. “I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure. . . .”
    He grinned. “Then don’t say anything at all. Let’s enjoy dinner and see what happens.”
    Terry knew right away that leaving things up to her must be a new experience. She began to fidget with her food, making little tracks in the garlic mashed potatoes with her fork. Every once in a while she’d look around the room, perhaps nervous somebody would corner her, but Terry wouldn’t let that happen. Even when he’d lifted his arm to take her coat by the booth, and she’d stepped back quickly as if he’d hit her, struck a lethal chord in him. He wanted to show her a good time and prove that some men had good intentions, no matter what they did for a living. And if he ever saw a man raise his hand to her, he’d rip his throat out.
    After a while she focused her attention back to him. “What did you have in mind—for us to do?”
    Anything that doesn’t involve shooting someone. “Whatever you want. You’re the boss.”
    “Anything I want?” Her smile seemed evil almost—something he didn’t expect from her. It made him a little uncomfortable, considering he was in the bush and totally out of his element. “How about I take you fishing tomorrow? If you can handle that then maybe I’ll let you stay.”
    If he had to throw a line in the water to prove he wasn’t an asshole, then he’d do it with a smile. Her shy nature and pretty face did him in like a bullet to the head, but he knew better than to push her too hard. She’d gone through a nasty time not only from her marriage from hell, but from what she had suffered a few months ago—partly at his doing.
    All because he had to find Gabe.
    First Ben got her to talk, then Jimmy was ordered to take her outside and kill her. If Terry wouldn’t have shown up in the nick of time, Jimmy would’ve made her suffer things he didn’t want to imagine.
    A woman like Mary needed to be coaxed out of her shell and treated like a queen, because she deserved it. She deserved better than a meaningless life with an asshole who hurt her, and had the nerve to steal millions of dollars of cocaine. Simply put, Tom Billings was a loser.
    Mary deserved to be touched gently and kissed passionately. She deserved what Terry wanted to give her.
    “Sounds good to me.” Terry lifted his wine glass and clinked it against hers. “Cheers to our little adventure tomorrow. I’ll be there with hooks on.”
    * * * *
    Mary stood in her bedroom the following afternoon with the closet doors open and a mountain of clothes on the bed. She placed her fists on her hips and released a pent-up sigh.
    Why did she care what she wore to go fishing? She was acting like a foolish girl.
    Seeing Terry again with his lazy smile and bright blues gave her mixed emotions. She’d missed him, but she was angry as well. She was attracted to him, but she had to be cautious at the same time. He was part of an organization that set him apart from the average Joe, and he was dangerous. Coming from an abusive marriage, Mary didn’t know if she should act on her attraction toward Terry or if she should end their friendship right now and forget about him. She glanced at the cordless phone beside the nightstand, but she didn’t have his number to call him and call off the fishing expedition. She took a step toward the bedroom door, intent on throwing on her jacket and heading to his hotel to cancel his visit in person. But she didn’t. Her curiosity over why he came here was too strong to ignore.
    One thing was certain. He acted like he wanted some kind of relationship.
    He looks at me like I’m a bottle of water after surviving the desert.
    But