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“You’re a bounty hunter?” he said at last, his blue eyes wide with disbelief.
“That’s right.” She stood beside the bed, waiting for him to accept the situation. He’d soon tire of fighting the handcuffs.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’ve got the wrong man. My name isn’t really Whip. I made that up….”
“I know,” she interjected. “You’re the Kissing Bandit.”
“Who?”
“The Kissing Bandit.” She reached down, unable to resist brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. “I realize Tanner Blackburn is your alias du jour, but even if the name changes, the crime stays the same. You’ve been scamming women for the past seven years, but your luck just ran out. I’m taking you in.”
“This is ridiculous.” He bucked once, his breathing heavy. “I am Tanner Blackburn and I’m an attorney from Dallas. I should warn you that forcibly holding someone against their will is a felony in this state.”
She arched a brow. “A lawyer? I thought you were a bull rider.”
He clenched his jaw. “I made that up.”
“Just like you made up the name Whip?”
“Yes.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Somehow that doesn’t sound like something an innocent man would do.”
“I had my reasons,” he said between clenched teeth.
“Now that I believe.” She slipped off her high heels, relishing the feel of the plush carpet against the soles of her feet. “Advertising your services in the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine is the standard m.o. for the Kissing Bandit. So is preying on helpless, vulnerable women.”
“Helpless?” He struggled to lift his head off the pillow. “I’d hardly call you helpless. Crazy, yes. Helpless, no.”
She smiled. “You’re just mad because I gave you a taste of your own medicine.”
He stopped moving and stared up at her. “Are you telling me this was all a ploy? The beers at the bar. The invitation to your hotel room. The kiss.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze, wishing she could forget about that kiss. It definitely hadn’t been part of her plan. She was only supposed to sketch him. But he’d caught her off guard when he’d marched into her hotel room and kissed her. So she’d improvised. Then, after she’d peeled his shirt over his shoulders to secure his arms, she hadn’t been able to resist kissing him again.
Now Maddie just wished she could forget the way her body had responded to him. It wasn’t just embarrassing, it was unprofessional. For one brief, insane, electrifying moment she had forgotten the real reason she’d brought him up to her hotel room.
“Tell me,” he demanded, obviously irritated by her silence, “do you really have a showing at an art gallery? Are you even from New York? Or were you just playing games with me?”
She tipped up her chin. “What do you think?”
His shoulders sagged. “I think I’m an idiot.”
“Don’t take it so hard. Your luck couldn’t hold out forever.”
He closed his eyes. “This is beyond crazy. I am not the Kissing Bandit. I’m an estate lawyer.”
“Is that one of your new scams? I imagine there is quite a profit in seducing wealthy widows.”
“It’s not a scam, it’s the truth. I’m with the law firm of Collins and Cooksey. The only reason I made up Whip the Bull Rider was to impress you.”
“I’m definitely impressed with your creative abilities—” she sat on the edge of the bed “—although I do think it’s a little disgusting that you’re in a bar trying to pick up women the night before your wedding.”
“My wedding?” His brow furrowed. “Where did you get a crazy idea like that?”
“From you. Down at the bar you told me that you’d met the bride through the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine. I believe your exact words were—It paid off.”
He shook his head. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. I tried to tell you that before, but you distracted me.”
“Oh, sure. Blame the victim.”
“Victim.” He snorted. “I’m the one whose leg is growing numb. Now please unlock these cuffs.”
Maddie could see his discomfort, but she steeled herself against the appeal in his blue eyes. A bounty hunter couldn’t risk feeling sorry for her fugitives or allow herself to make concessions. Besides, the man deserved a little discomfort after all the pain he’d caused her father—not to mention all the women whose hearts he’d broken.
“I’ll unlock them when we get to Chicago.”
His eyes widened. “Chicago?”
She nodded. “That’s where we’re headed as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow. I’ve been tracking you for the past three days and I’m a little behind schedule.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” He lunged upward, but only succeeded in rolling off the bed. He hit the carpet with a loud grunt.
She kneeled down on the floor beside him. “It won’t do you any good to try to escape.”
“Escape?” he sputtered, wincing as he rolled onto his side. “Sorry to disappoint you, but at the moment I’m just hoping I didn’t break any bones.”
Her sympathy overcame her better judgment. She pulled a small key from the pocket of her sundress and unlocked the cuff around his ankle. He slowly straightened his right leg, wincing at the movement. Maddie didn’t waste any time securing the empty cuff around the metal leg of the bed frame.
“There,” she said, helping him up to a sitting position, his arms still cuffed behind his back. “That’s better.”
“No, that’s not better. I demand that you release me immediately!” He yanked hard on his chains.
“Sorry, Whip. No can do.”
“The name is Tanner.”
“This week, anyway.” She sat down in a chair across from him.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Face it, lady, you nabbed the wrong man.”
She sighed. “It’s not going to work.”
“My name is Tanner Blackburn,” he insisted.
“And you’re a lawyer.”
“That’s right.”
“A successful lawyer?”
He nodded. “As a matter of fact, I’m on the fast track to making partner.”
“Impressive.” She leaned forward. “So tell me something. Why would a handsome, successful lawyer advertise himself in the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine?”
He met her gaze and her stomach fluttered at the indefinable emotion swirling in his blue eyes. “It’s a long story.”
“That’s all right, Whip… I mean, Tanner.” She settled back in her chair. “It’s not like you’re going anywhere.”
She forced herself to remain calm as he worked himself into a fury, yanking on the chains hard enough to make the bed vibrate. He was much brawnier than she’d expected. His shoulders were wide and his chest unbelievably broad. He’d obviously been working out since that last mug shot had been taken.
Her mouth went dry when she remembered the way his chest muscles had rippled beneath her touch. How the bulge of his biceps had helped snag his shirtsleeves behind him, making it almost impossible for him to move his arms.
She’d known the Kissing Bandit had charmed women all over the country, but she’d never really understood his magnetic power…until tonight.
The man had a boyish appeal that was almost irresistible. Especially when it was combined with those incredible blue eyes, that solid, square jaw, and a smile that melted something deep inside of her.
Not to mention that kiss.
She closed her eyes, attempting to block out the memory, and failing. Her body had betrayed her, and it still thrummed from the aftereffects of his kiss. She kept telling herself the only reason she’d kissed him was to distract him when she brought out the handcuffs.
But it wasn’t true. Worse, it had almost backfired on her. No wonder so many women had signed over their bank accounts and their common sense to this man.
“Am I boring you?” he asked archly.
Her eyes flew open. “Did you say something?”
His nostrils flared. “I was telling you the reason my picture was in that stupid magazine.”
She tucked her legs underneath her. “I can’t wait to hear it.”
He shifted uncomfortably on the floor. “Then I’ll say it again. It was a gift.”
She arched a brow, surprised that a man as cunning as the Kissing Bandit couldn’t come up with something more clever. “You consider yourself a gift to women?”
“No. It was a gift to my little sister.” He sagged against the bed, obviously exhausted from his struggle against the handcuffs. “For some ridiculous reason, she thought I didn’t have enough romance in my life. So she filled out the application and told me the only thing she wanted for her high school graduation present was my picture in the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine.”
As far as Maddie knew, the Kissing Bandit didn’t have a little sister. But she decided to play along anyway. “And you agreed?”
“Not at first,” he replied. “But Lauren is nothing if not persistent. She told me she couldn’t enjoy herself at college if I was all alone in Dallas.”
Maddie had to give him credit. He was good. Very good.
Especially the way his voice softened when he spoke his sister’s name. He was a master of deception, which was probably the reason he’d avoided capture for so long.
“So you advertised yourself in the magazine hoping to find true love?”
“Something like that.” A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Look, the real reason is that it made my sister happy. She’s had a tough time these last few years, but she pulled herself together and graduated from high school with honors. She even qualified for a college scholarship. So when she asked me to put my picture in the Texas Mail-Order Men magazine, I did it. Hell, I would have walked across hot coals if she’d asked me to. And considering the way this evening is turning out, that might have been more fun.”
Maddie studied him, wondering how long it took him to create these cockamamie stories. At least this one was more plausible than the wild rodeo adventures he’d spun down at the bar. Did he improvise on the spur of the moment or spend hours concocting heart-wrenching tales to make women fall in love with him?
He certainly seemed like the perfect catch. Not only was he sinfully handsome, but he treated his little sister like a princess. No doubt leaving the impression that he’d treat the love of his life even better.
Too bad it was all make-believe.
“Do you adopt orphaned puppies and help little old ladies across the street, too?” she asked, tired of playing games. The rush of adrenaline from the takedown was finally beginning to wear off.
He narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that I’m smart enough not to believe a word that comes out of your mouth.”
“It happens to be the truth.”
“Okay,” she said, happy to call his bluff. “Give me your sister’s phone number and I’ll call her up to verify your story.”
“You can’t call her,” he retorted, anger sparking in his blue eyes. “Lauren went camping with friends this weekend. She won’t be home until Sunday.”
“That’s convenient.”
“It’s the damn truth!”
“Your bedtime stories are making me sleepy.” She got up and switched off the light, blanketing the room in darkness. “Good night, Whip.”
Tension crackled in the air as she walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. But it wasn’t until her head hit the pillow that he finally spoke.
“You expect me to sleep here on the floor like this?” He tugged on the handcuffs, shaking the bed slightly.
“Well, you’re certainly not sleeping with me,” Maddie replied, thankful for the darkness that covered her blush. Because, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t seem to forget that interlude on the bed right before she’d handcuffed him. The Kissing Bandit might be one of the world’s best con men, but she hadn’t been acting.
Still, what did it matter now? She’d done it. She’d brought down the Kissing Bandit. Satisfaction warmed her as she imagined the expression on her father’s face when she brought Blackburn in. Her brothers would be dumbfounded, and jealous as hell.
She could hardly wait.
4
TANNER AWOKE SLOWLY THE next morning, wincing at the piercing ache in his shoulders. It took him a moment to remember why he was lying on the floor. And why both of his hands were numb.
Maddie.
That brown-eyed vixen had lured him right into her trap. And he’d drooled over her all the way there. He closed his eyes, thoroughly disgusted with himself. This was certainly not the way he intended to start his well-earned vacation.
He rolled to one side, then levered himself up to a sitting position. His stiff muscles screamed in protest. He’d talked himself hoarse last night trying to convince her she’d made a big mistake. But Maddie Griffin refused to listen to reason. She was the most stubborn woman he’d ever met.
Leaning his head back against the mattress, he heard the shower running in the bathroom. She’d obviously been serious about leaving at the crack of dawn. Closing his eyes, he wondered how the hell he’d gotten into this situation, and more importantly, how he was going to get out of it.
A few minutes later, the shower turned off and he could hear the squeak of the shower door as it opened. It was too easy to imagine Maddie standing naked only a few feet away from him, tiny droplets of water streaming over her delectable body. If he wasn’t handcuffed to the bed, he’d be half tempted to walk in there and join her. Finish what they had started last night.
Last night. The wedding rehearsal. Oh, hell.
