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"You can never have too much" She s the urge to s is this?" He stomped a boot on the surface

"Cork Never slippery, easy to sweep or replace, and provides natural cushion for everyone’s feet"

He finally turned to stare at her, the fact that he was i his features "You planned all this by yourself ?"

"Mostly A bit of help from my contractor Sexy Sirens has a few customers in the restaurant business, and I asked their advice The restI did ht"

Soed, closed His body tensed as his dark gaze skittered away "You succeeded"

Damn! What had caused the warmth on his face to chill? The mention of Sexy Sirens? Deke had told her once that she wasn’t Luc’s type because he was looking for a lady Did his avoidance mean he saw her as one small step up from a whore?

She raised her chin Alyssa knew men Even if Luc was loath to admit that she was his type, she knew she made his dick twitch It was a start

Noas all business again "What time can you have the staff here tomorrow?"

"Noon work for you?"

"Perfect" He turned away

"You’ve already approved the ripped the keys in her hand, wondering how to recover the o

Patience, she warned herself Stick to the plan The night was still young

LUC followed Alyssa to the restaurant’s e would make patrons feel secure However, the illumination pissed hi hips as she sashayed to her car It ain

He’d driven his SUV from the strip club, mostly so he didn’t have to shut himself in a confined space with her, even for three blocks He didn’t think he could be responsible for his actions for even that long In Bonheur’s kitchen, the thought of laying her across one of those glearipped hi up Sexy Sirens and the favors she’d likely had to give her loyal custorit his teeth and his dinner churn His temper soar

Alyssa was a stripper, for fuck’s sake Not the sort of woman ithout sex for two years He’d been an idiot to believe that when she’d whispered the treo She was in the business of leading ood at it He couldn’t be angry with her for being herself; she’d never pretended to be anything different But he could--and should--be furious with hi completely empty, he’d parked three spots from her As he pressed his key fob to unlock the driver’s door, he watched her do the sao home now, lose that little black skirt, white tank, red bra, and fuck-h she played no part in the future he craved, he itched to follow her hoarht body

He sed Keep your dick in your pants Cook, shut up, and get the hell out of Lafayette Seven days Think you can find some self-control?

A fehts Alyssa

Luc’s heart stuttered, and he nearly leapt over his car as he rushed across the asphalt She backed away--right into his chest He steadied her, pal her bare shoulders

"What is it?" he de breath "Bastards!"

Before he could ask her who or what sheA , serrated knife with a piece of paper attached Under the streetlaht red lipstick

Shock crested, then quicklysoo But he would never have said it aloud, much less stabbed it to the front seat of her convertible

"Who would do this to you?" His voice vibrated with rage

She tossed the knife into her front seat and cast him a wary stare over her shoulder "Who knows?"

Luc turned her to face him and clenched his jaw "Who Did This To You?"

His tone took her aback "Look, it’s not new Shit happens all the time"

All the time? That only infuriated him more Luc drew her closer as a thunderous frown stole across his face She wasn’t afraid, and he was scared as hell for her "What have the police said in the past?"

"Police?" She shook her head "This is justa prank or a pissed-off custoh attention to him, most likely"

And whoever did this could also be dead serious That blade was no laughing matter "What if sooing on?"

"Like I said, it happens It’s been a while but--"

"Get inher to stand like a convenient target in a shadowy parking lot He didn’t provide personal security detail like his cousin Deke, but he’d spent enough time with the man and his business partner, Jack Cole, to know that re out in the open could be deadly

"What?" She looked incredulous "I’ you ho the criate"

Alyssa hesitated, then softened "Luc Your concern is really sweet, but--"

"Get in the fucking car"

She blanched, and he cursed under his breath He needed to get control of his te sexual frustration, coupled with his alarn and scare her? Fists curled, Luc craved a chance to pound the asshole

Alyssa sighed, and Luc readied his next argument, but she strolled toward his SUV "Fine"

He opened the door for her and watched her slide inside, the strands of her platinu over her shoulders She looked somewhere between placid and reserved, despite the fact that she’d just been threatened Was she out of herhis head, he dashed around to the driver’s seat When he slid inside, she was already on the phone

"Sorry it’s late, Reht maybe I should call y’all Someone messed with my car"