Viper's Kiss Read Online Free Page A

and ducked down, her laptop case pressing into her back as she leaned against a tire. Oh, God, no! It didn’t work. She squeezed her eyes closed. Damn, damn, damn . She heard the scrunch of soles on concrete, and scuttled behind the rear of the forklift. Now what? She was done for. He would find her.
    She ducked her head behind the gas tank, and paused. Gas tank? Maybe that’s it? Her hand rose to touch the valve. She’d never driven a forklift before. Was the gas turned in the off position? She snuck a peek. Was that the problem? She wasn’t sure. There wasn’t an “on” switch, just a valve. She began to turn it, and winced at the groaning squeak it made. The footsteps stopped.
    Slide. Crunch. He was coming toward her.
    She worked furiously, spinning the valve. The engine coughed once. Twice. It roared to life. The forklift lurched, and she toppled over as it lunged forward.
    A male yell ended as quickly as it began as the forklift crashed to a stop against the wall of the building. Maggie didn’t stick around to see what happened. She bolted down the commercial drive, around a sea container and smack bang into a broad chest.
    She stumbled backwards, winded, the strap of her laptop bag digging into her neck. She looked up. And up. Jean-clad muscular thighs, narrow hips, broad chest and shoulders. The chiseled, handsome face of an avenging angel. And those eyes. The man from the library.
    She didn’t know whether to be happy to see him or scared as all hell. Why is he following me? What if he’s a stalker? The memory of Rupert choking her flashed across her mind. Or worse? The fierce look on his face didn’t reassure her. She rolled to her feet and turned to flee. A hand wrapped around her mouth as another snaked around her waist, and she was hauled back against a hard, strong male body.

Chapter Three
    She didn’t know if it was the adrenalin of the situation, the emotional tightrope she’d walked since her arrest, or the sheer will to live, but all the self-defense techniques she’d ever read or practiced came to the fore. She raked her foot down a shin as she stomped on her captor’s foot. She was rewarded with a growl. She drove her elbow into a firm stomach, and heard his grunt. She reached over her head and felt hair. She grabbed. Pulled. The arm around her waist tightened, and she was hoisted up higher, her feet flailing as she tried to kick him again.
    “Damn, woman, if you want to live be still, shut up and do exactly as I say.”
    Maggie froze at the voice whispering in her ear.
    “We have to get out of here. I’ll take my hand away if you promise to be quiet.” The smooth voice continued to rumble in her ear, causing a heated reaction in her body that she thought entirely inappropriate under the circumstances.
    Maggie nodded. If it meant freedom, she’d agree to anything. Whether she’d follow through or not, well, that was another story. The hand over her mouth lifted slightly, as though ready to gag her if she tried to make any noise.
    Her captor seemed satisfied with her continued silence and withdrew the hand completely. The arm around her waist loosened enough so that she could turn, but didn’t relinquish her.
    She looked up at his face. Underneath the blond eyebrows that were pulled together in a tight frown were those blue eyes and an almost-straight nose. Shaggy blond hair framed a face that looked to have been chiseled from marble by a master craftsman, with bold cheekbones and a strong jaw line. Stone-cold handsome. She took a deep, calming breath, and tried to force her pulse rate back to normal. She brought her hands up between them, ready to push him away if necessary, although he’d already demonstrated his superior strength and she didn’t think she’d be successful unless he allowed it.
    “What the…what do you want?” Surely he wasn’t another Miss April Hotrod fan who’d followed her from the library? She’d seen enough of them since the release of that darned