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My jaw drops.

“Considering you’ve been watching me for two days, I suppose you’d know.”

“A week,” he corrects. “I’ve been watching you for a week. And you had no idea.”

“You’ve been stalking me?” That explains all the times the hair on my neck stood on end.

I wasn’t going crazy. There was a lunatic watching me.

“Watching. It’s different.” He jerks his head toward the bed. “You should get some sleep.”

“Oh shit!” I hurry back to my bag and start digging for the burner phone. “I need to let Barbara know I’m not coming for my shift in the morning.”

“I already took care of that.” Reaching over my head, he snatches the phone from my hands. “Get in bed.”

Something inside snaps. Maybe it’s the exhaustion of having been working so much this past week. Maybe my full stomach is giving me the energy to finally findsome bravery. Whatever it is, I’m on my feet and spinning around to face him in a heartbeat.

“Stop telling me what to do!” I slap my hand against his chest.

Pain shoots up my wrist, thanks to the stone he has for muscles, but I’m too worked up to care.

“I’m done with you!” I round the bed to the nightstand on the other side where the phone is.

After hearing the dial tone, I hit the front desk button.

“You kidnapped me, you tied my arms with your belt, you’ve threatened me?—”

Before the first ring sounds on the other side of the line, he rips the phone from my grip and slams it down.

“And now I’m going to show you what happens to little hostages who don’t do what they’re told.”

Ishould have punished her when she threw that TV tray at me in her apartment. I’d been too preoccupied with getting her out of town, I let my judgement be swayed.

“Let me go.” The little pixie yanks down on my grip, like she can get away from me.

I clench my jaw. She’s not mine. She’s not even a target.

She’s the best friend of my friend’s woman. This is a pick-up and drop off situation. She’s already going to show up with injuries thanks to my not getting to her fast enough at the bar.

I drop her arm.

“Get in bed. This is your last warning, Mira.” The fire in her gaze suggests she’s not going to heed it.

And the hardness of my cock suggests I’m hoping she doesn’t.

“I was in bed. You’re the one who pulled me out.” She shoves at my chest, and I grab her wrist, pinning her hand to my pec.

The warmth of her skin spreads across my body.

“You’re acting like an overtired little girl. Go to sleep before you get yourself in more trouble than you can handle.” I keep my voice even, trying to remind myself that she’s not the sort of girl I can fuck and duck.

And I’m not the sort of man to stick around, so the heat building here has to cool the fuck off.

“I can handle myself fine. Stop threatening me.” She’s right.

Threats aren’t my style. And I’ve given her plenty of warnings so far. And she’s ignored each of them.

Using her wrist, I spin her around until she’s facing the bed and shove her over the side. Before she can really get a grasp on her position, I push her up so her toes are off the ground and her ass is propped up.