Viper's Kiss by Shannon Curtis Read Free Book Online Page B

glanced back at the clothes, chewing his cheek as he selected appropriate items.
    He shoved a pair of jeans, underpants and a T-shirt at her. “These should fit.” He gestured to her chest. “You’ll have to uh, make do for everything else.” He knew there was no way they could outfit her completely, not after seeing that picture and holding her close. She had certain assets they hadn’t catered for.
    He opened the en suite door. “You can use these facilities. Make it quick.”
    Maggie eyed him with uncertainty before entering the bathroom. He inhaled her scent as she passed him and his eyes closed, just briefly. Her very essence teased him like a siren’s call. His eyes snapped open. He stared at her. She’d killed a guard, and he still wasn’t sure how she’d escaped her cronies. She stood in the center of the tiled floor, glancing at the shower recess, toilet and sink. She looked battered, vulnerable, scared. He would not comfort her, damn it. Her eyes met his in the mirror, and his hand gripped the door knob. Those eyes, those haunting eyes, had the same effect on him as a sucker-punch to the gut.
    “I’ll be in the living room,” he said hoarsely, and snapped the door closed. He looked at the handle. She had escaped her last captors. He engaged the lock and pocketed the key. She wouldn’t escape him.
    Inside the bathroom he heard the water run in the shower and swallowed. He could imagine her in there, water sluicing off her naked body, soap suds glistening as she held the washcloth to those big, beautiful—
    He sucked in a breath. Great . I’m lusting after Viper, of all goddamned women. He wasn’t about to become her next victim, though. He strode out of the bedroom and down the hall, trying to put as much distance between him and temptation as possible.
    Entering the living room, he caught sight of Maggie’s laptop bag. He paused. She’d be a little while. Possibly long enough for him to hack into her laptop and get a clue as to where the hell she’d stashed the prototype.
    He crossed over to the lounge, grabbed the bag and got to work.

Chapter Five
    Maggie resisted the urge to bury her head under the warm, pounding spray of the shower. No matter how she might try, she couldn’t hide from the hell her life had suddenly become. She’d been kidnapped, but the news reported it as though she’d organized the accident and the cop shootings. She shuddered, and shoved the savage image from her mind. She thought of her mother. Despite the accusations, the violence and the deaths, the one thing that caused her the most worry was hearing her mother was now in the hospital. God, please let her be okay . Tears tracked down her face to be lost in the spray of water.
    For two years her mother had battled ovarian cancer. Unfortunately it was caught late. Now it had metastasized, and tumors were in her lungs and abdomen.
    Maggie had nursed her mother for the last eight months, working from home whenever possible and using a reputable nursing agency when she had to go into the library.
    She was now the sole earner in their painfully modest household. She had to work to finance not only their home and lifestyle, but all the drugs, treatment and care her mother required. She couldn’t go out and waste precious money on shopping for frivolous items, or dining out with friends. She struggled with the constant stress of keeping a roof over her mother’s head and paying her exorbitant medical bills. Was she the reason for her mother’s latest collapse? What if Mom actually believed the things that were being said about her? Maggie pulled the shower curtain back. She had to see her mom, explain that it was all some gross mistake. She had to ease her mother’s worry.
    She glanced at the bathroom door, knowing that Luke had locked it. She grabbed a large white fluffy towel off the rack and covered herself. The last thing she needed was Luke Fletcher walking in and catching her at a disadvantage.
    Her brows pulled