Hard to Be Good (Hard Ink #3.5) (12 page)

BOOK: Hard to Be Good (Hard Ink #3.5)

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And then he was gone.

She rolled her eyes. Freaking ridiculous to get so worked up over a man whose favorite form of communication was the grunt. And who made a habit of ignoring her when she spoke to him. And who’d pulled a gun on her without even bothering to ask her name. Couldn’t forget that.

Whatever. He probably just got to her because he was so unlike the men with whom she normally spent time. Whereas her colleagues at Justice tended to be serious, buttoned-up, and lower key, Beckett radiated an intensity she didn’t quite understand. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with how he spoke or acted, because he talked little and showed emotion even less. Maybe it was all that leashed strength, because she had no doubt that he could do some serious damage with his bare hands.

Which, given the way her biceps looked right now, maybe wasn’t the most pleasant thought, was it? Because Friday morning, when she’d gone down to her building’s garage to head out to work, Cole had been waiting for her . . . somewhere. One minute she was juggling her belongings and sliding her key into the door lock, and the next someone grabbed her arms from behind and shoved her against the cold cinder-block wall near the hood of her car. It caught her so off guard that she hadn’t even managed a scream before her body was trapped between the wall and her assailant, who ground his hard-on into her rear.

God, I missed you, baby.

The memory of his raspy voice whispering in her ear made her shudder. The fact that he’d gotten the jump on her without her having the chance to fight back had Kat so mad at herself she could barely stand it.

When she’d finally talked him into letting go of her and agreed to meet him after work for a drink and a talk, he left. And she’d hightailed it up to her apartment to pack a bag, made a stop at the Superior Court to file for a protective order, and left D.C. for Baltimore and the safety of her brothers’ place.

Ha.

So much for that.

But at least she knew Cole wasn’t going to be a problem here. She’d received a message yesterday that the judge had granted the order, and once the authorities served Cole with the papers putting the order into effect, he’d keep his distance. He was too damn smart and appearance-conscious not to. And, as an attorney, he’d obviously realize that getting caught violating a protective order would create problems with the bar in addition to problems with the police.

Kat couldn’t wait for the order to be served. Not only would it give her peace of mind that he’d stay away, but the no-contact provision should also cut off the stream of demanding and accusatory texts and voice mails she’d received since she pulled a no-show for their talk Friday night. Couldn’t happen soon enough.

Given everything that was going on with her brothers, the knowledge that the order would diffuse the Cole situation allowed Kat to breathe a sigh of relief. Because they really couldn’t handle even one more complication.

About the Author

LAURA
KAYE
IS
the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of more than a twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Laura grew up amid family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her lifelong fascination with storytelling and the supernatural. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.

By Laura Kaye

Hard to Be Good (novella)

Hard to Come By

Hard to Hold On To (novella)

Hard As You Can

Hard As It Gets

Coming Soon

Hard to Let Go

Hard As Steel (novella)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Excerpt from
Hard to Let Go
copyright © 2015 by Laura Kaye.

HARD TO BE GOOD
. Copyright © 2015 by Laura Kaye. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition APRIL 2015 ISBN: 9780062369499

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062369512

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