enjoyed a five-minute tear-fest. Good cry, but pointless in the end.
Allowing herself one last sniffle, she blew her nose, dried her eyes, and cranked up the car. In her state of mind, having no idea where she was headed was no reason not to drive. Getting away from Noah right now had to be her first priority. When she got to where she was going, then she’d know where she was headed.
She had to give him credit. He’d not only manipulated her into admitting she was attracted to him, but also ensured that she would do everything possible to avoid showing that attraction in the future. Damn, he was good. She had brothers. She knew all the male tricks, and she’d let this one almost get past her. If she weren’t so pissed at him, she’d be applauding. Noah might be one of the best manipulators she’d ever seen.
Slamming on her brakes as the line of cars in front of her braked, Samara hissed a curse. Maybe driving around Birmingham on a Friday afternoon wasn’t the best way to overcome anger. Now stuck on Highway 280, she had only herself to blame.
Taking her life in her hands, she turned on her blinker and swooped behind a pickup truck, ignoring the blast of a horn from behind her. Keeping her signal on, she turned into the Summit shopping center.
Finding a parking spot in the middle of the giant lot, Samara started to walk. Spending the next few hours window-shopping was a good way to work off the explosive emotions careening inside her. Samara wasn’t one to buy frivolously. Not only did she not have a job, but spending money on anything other than absolute necessities went against her budget-minded conscience. So it was with complete dismay and not a little anger that she found herself the proud owner of a new rug for her kitchen, three scented candles, two refrigerator magnets, and a rolling pin. None of these things was a necessity, though if Noah continued to be such a jerk, the rolling pin might come in handy.
She threw her bags in the trunk of her car and got in. Her stomach took a nosedive when she thought about what waited for her at home. Sloppy joes for dinner? She had a good idea that greasy delicacy would be coming right back up if she attempted one. Whipping into a parking spot at one of her favorite restaurants, Samara grabbed her purse. She was on no certain time schedule. After a nice, relaxing dinner, she’d head home. She had plenty of time before they started looking for the creep in the chat rooms. She anticipated needing as much good nutrition and strength as she could possibly get. Not only to do this job, but also to handle Noah.
After allowing his manipulation earlier, what was she going to do about it? The man thought he could control what was happening between them but he’d yet to face Samara Lyons doing what she did best. Fighting with her own kind of manipulation … the God’s honest truth.
As she headed to a table for one, soft, muted music floated above her, easing her tension. A smile sneaked up on her that she couldn’t repress. Noah McCall might well have met his match.
four
Noah paced through the small apartment, waiting for Samara to return. He’d known his words would make her angry—that’s why he’d said them. She was right, he was the one who’d been sending out signals, but she’d responded in kind. That couldn’t happen again. They had a job to do and once it was over, he’d be gone. The last thing he needed was to have her pining after him.
He ignored the small bite of conscience for hurting her feelings. Better now than later. He also chose to ignore the voice inside him that whispered that it might not just be her who would get hurt. Those kinds of feelings had been beaten out of him in a hell no one left alive even knew about.
Had he gone too far with her? She’d looked, in equal parts, angry and hurt, when she’d stomped out the door. He was so used to hardened, thick-skinned LCR operatives, he’d forgotten that Samara wasn’t used to the
Allowing herself one last sniffle, she blew her nose, dried her eyes, and cranked up the car. In her state of mind, having no idea where she was headed was no reason not to drive. Getting away from Noah right now had to be her first priority. When she got to where she was going, then she’d know where she was headed.
She had to give him credit. He’d not only manipulated her into admitting she was attracted to him, but also ensured that she would do everything possible to avoid showing that attraction in the future. Damn, he was good. She had brothers. She knew all the male tricks, and she’d let this one almost get past her. If she weren’t so pissed at him, she’d be applauding. Noah might be one of the best manipulators she’d ever seen.
Slamming on her brakes as the line of cars in front of her braked, Samara hissed a curse. Maybe driving around Birmingham on a Friday afternoon wasn’t the best way to overcome anger. Now stuck on Highway 280, she had only herself to blame.
Taking her life in her hands, she turned on her blinker and swooped behind a pickup truck, ignoring the blast of a horn from behind her. Keeping her signal on, she turned into the Summit shopping center.
Finding a parking spot in the middle of the giant lot, Samara started to walk. Spending the next few hours window-shopping was a good way to work off the explosive emotions careening inside her. Samara wasn’t one to buy frivolously. Not only did she not have a job, but spending money on anything other than absolute necessities went against her budget-minded conscience. So it was with complete dismay and not a little anger that she found herself the proud owner of a new rug for her kitchen, three scented candles, two refrigerator magnets, and a rolling pin. None of these things was a necessity, though if Noah continued to be such a jerk, the rolling pin might come in handy.
She threw her bags in the trunk of her car and got in. Her stomach took a nosedive when she thought about what waited for her at home. Sloppy joes for dinner? She had a good idea that greasy delicacy would be coming right back up if she attempted one. Whipping into a parking spot at one of her favorite restaurants, Samara grabbed her purse. She was on no certain time schedule. After a nice, relaxing dinner, she’d head home. She had plenty of time before they started looking for the creep in the chat rooms. She anticipated needing as much good nutrition and strength as she could possibly get. Not only to do this job, but also to handle Noah.
After allowing his manipulation earlier, what was she going to do about it? The man thought he could control what was happening between them but he’d yet to face Samara Lyons doing what she did best. Fighting with her own kind of manipulation … the God’s honest truth.
As she headed to a table for one, soft, muted music floated above her, easing her tension. A smile sneaked up on her that she couldn’t repress. Noah McCall might well have met his match.
four
Noah paced through the small apartment, waiting for Samara to return. He’d known his words would make her angry—that’s why he’d said them. She was right, he was the one who’d been sending out signals, but she’d responded in kind. That couldn’t happen again. They had a job to do and once it was over, he’d be gone. The last thing he needed was to have her pining after him.
He ignored the small bite of conscience for hurting her feelings. Better now than later. He also chose to ignore the voice inside him that whispered that it might not just be her who would get hurt. Those kinds of feelings had been beaten out of him in a hell no one left alive even knew about.
Had he gone too far with her? She’d looked, in equal parts, angry and hurt, when she’d stomped out the door. He was so used to hardened, thick-skinned LCR operatives, he’d forgotten that Samara wasn’t used to the
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