Good Morning. I hope your doing great this Saturday! I thought I’d share a little snippet of one of my WIP. Not sexy this time, although I was tempted to go with a short tease. I wanted to show a little of Maria’s attitude. This is from the Protectorate Dallas story I’m currently writing. Enjoy!
“Maria, this isn’t a game. Even with the very little that I know of the sheriff, I’m certain he’s dangerous. And the men behind the robberies have already proven that they’ll hurt others.” Rafael took a step toward her. His mouth firmed into a grim line. She had the feeling he wanted to shake some sense into her.
“I don’t catch the criminals. I’m not a bounty hunter or anything such as that. Almost everything I do is done on a monitor, looking through records, or talking to people. I leave capturing the criminals to the police or other authorities. My brothers are even bigger pains in my ass than you are about that.” She shook her head at him and heaved a big sigh. She was not in danger here. Yes, she was taking precautions, but that was only the smart thing to do with how the sheriff had acted.
“If these owners are planning to have their store robbed though, you’ll be putting yourself in the line of fire. They’ll know you will suspect them and they might send someone after you.” He eased a step closer and put his hands on her shoulders.
It was the genuine worry she saw in his eyes that kept her from yelling at him. “You’re dealing with if’s and might’s, Raf. I could just as easily say one of your ex-girlfriends might be a psycho. Or that the thunderstorm predicted later in the week might signal the end of the world.”
“Don’t trivialize this. I won’t let you put yourself in any danger.” He ran his hands over her shoulders.
“I don’t think a psycho ex is trivial, but never mind that. Isn’t it your job to watch things and see if there’s any sign of danger? A possibility is not a reason to walk away. You keep an eye on the people and if there’s any hint of threat, we’ll decide what to do then.” She put her hands on his chest.
She knew he was experiencing a wash of mating hormones and the urge to protect and lock her away from harm was natural, but she hoped he got control of it soon. They probably would come across some antagonism at some point, even if it was simple annoyance over the inconvenience. She didn’t want to have to argue with him at every stop.
He took a deep breath. “I’ll keep an eye on you, but don’t think you’re going to convince me to let you continue this job if there’s danger.”
“I don’t expect you to be happy about it, but it is my job and I will finish it.” She dug her fingernail into his chest with each word. The big man could argue, but she finished her jobs. “But if it does turn violent, I probably won’t be on the case any more. The police or the Protectorate would take it over.”
“If your safety is threatened in any way, I’ll pull you off of this case.” He lifted her off her feet until she was eyelevel with him.
“Number one, you’re not my boss. You can’t pull me off a case. Number two, get a grip, Raf. You’re going crazy over something that hasn’t happened yet. I hope this is the mating messing with your moods and mind, because otherwise we’re going to fight.” She scowled at him. “We need to get ready and go.”
He took a deep breath. “Just watch me haul you away from a dangerous situation and I’ll certainly sit on you if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”
“Yeah, maybe you should talk to my brother about trying to keep me in a place that I don’t want. He’s got a nice scar as a reminder not to try to cage me.” She walked down the hall to the bedroom. This conversation was over.
Happy Reading!
