Bare Facts by Katherine Garbera Read Free Book Online Page A

good enough.”
    “Then give me something to work with,” he said.
    “What?”
    “Cop to what you’re feeling,” he said. He angled his body on the seat so he was facing her.
    “I’m intrigued by you,” she said, against her better judgment. Oh, who was she kidding? When it came to Daniel, she had no judgment. He made her react on every level.
    He gave her a half-smile, running his misshapen index finger down the side of her face. He traced the line of her jaw and then feathered his thumb over her lips. She parted them and was tempted to bite him. Just to remind him she was still in charge.
    But she didn’t feel like she was in charge as he tipped her head back and leaned forward. She felt like she was under his spell. Very few men could get around her so easily…why was she letting him do this to her?
    She put her hand on his face, felt the warmth of his body. He moved his lips on hers and she tunneled her fingers into his hair, holding him still.
    She thrust her tongue deep into his mouth and tasted everything that was Daniel. The warm masculinity and raw power, and she wanted more of it. She wanted this man that she sensed could be her equal on every level.
    On every level .
    She pulled back, knowing that she had things deep inside that she’d never shared with anyone. Things that didn’t fit with her super-model looks or her near-genius IQ.
    “What?”
    “That was…”
    “Perfect. The flight to Seattle will give us time to get to know one another better.”
    “Not intimately.”
    He shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
    “Don’t, Daniel.”
    “Don’t what?”
    “Treat me like arm candy. I think I’ve already proven to you that I’m more than that.”
    He rubbed the bridge of his nose and dropped his hands from her.
    “You have.”
    The silence spread between them as the miles flew past and they continued down the highway.
    “You can’t be more than a bodyguard to me.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because my enemy is looking for weaknesses.”
    “I’m not a weakness. I’m one tough cookie.”
    “But still a cookie,” he said, almost under his breath.
    “I didn’t mean it that way. I’ve held my own under extreme circumstances.”
    “You’ve never faced an enemy like this one before.”
    “Tell me what we’re facing.”
    “I told you—someone from my past.”
    He was hiding something from her. What?
    “Tell me more. You can trust me.”
    “It’s not you that I don’t trust, Charity.”
    “Who, then?”
    “Everyone. I learned the hard way to rely only on myself.”
    “I’m self-reliant, too,” she said. “But really good to have at your side.”
    “I’ve hired you to guard my back.”
    “You are so stubborn.”
    He just shrugged. His cell phone rang and he took the call. She realized she was watching him and listening to the deep cadence of his voice when he arched one eyebrow at her. God, she wasn’t falling for him…
    She palmed her BlackBerry from her pocket and sent a quick message to Anna, asking for an update on Daniel’s background.
    She got an immediate response that said— still searching . Still searching through his past. She had a suspicion they weren’t going to find anything relevant. Daniel had the look of a man who knew how to keep his secrets hidden. She was going to have to get him to talk, and she was oddly reluctant to use her femininity to do it. She felt like they’d moved beyond that kind of manipulation.
    She was about to put the BlackBerry away when a message popped up from Justine telling her to delay getting to the airport. She wanted more time to go over the plane.
    “Henry, don’t go directly to the airport,” she said.
    “Why not?” Daniel asked. “Stay on course, Henry.”
    “Yes, sir,” Henry said.
    “They aren’t finished vetting the plane. Daniel, it’s not safe until we know what we are dealing with there.”
    “What do you suggest? Ride around the city?”
    She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course not. Do you mind if we stop by