Lay Down the Law by Linda Castillo

Author:Linda Castillo [Castillo, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488098475
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-03-21T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Nick should have realized Stephanie would be angry with him. He couldn’t expect her to understand why he’d sent Erin away, that he was only interested in protecting his little girl, and saving them both from another run through hell.

The truth be told, Nick wasn’t even sure if he understood all the intricacies behind his inability to deal with Erin. The one thing he knew for certain was that his instincts were telling him she was a threat. To Stephanie. Maybe even to himself. He wasn’t sure which scared him more.

Nick hadn’t wanted to acknowledge the similarity between Rita and Erin. But the truth was indisputable; the parallels were now clear. Rita had been a risk taker. Spontaneous. Careless. Daring. Once upon a time he’d loved her for it. But she’d dared fate one too many times. The pain he’d endured after her death had soured his taste for risk, especially when it came to matters of the heart. In the last three years he’d paid the price for loving her a thousand times over.

Was he headed in the same direction with Erin by caring for her? What about Stephanie? She had lost her mother, her ability to walk—and the precious happiness known only by children. Had he put his little girl’s heart at risk by allowing her to get close to another risk taker?

He wanted that happiness back for his child. Wanted it back for her so badly he felt it with every cell of his body. As much as he was attracted to Erin—as much as he’d begun to care for her—she was exactly what they didn’t need. A relationship with the gutsy lady cop from Chicago would be nothing short of disaster. He couldn’t let himself get any closer. God in heaven, he couldn’t let his heart get involved.

Nick nearly laughed at the absurdity of the situation. No, he assured himself, he wouldn’t fall for Erin McNeal. Yes, he was…attracted to her. What red-blooded American male wouldn’t be? She was sexy as hell. But the bottom line was that he refused to put himself or his daughter through any more heartbreak no matter how much he liked the way Erin kissed.

He could handle his urges. Given some time, he’d find a nice woman he could care for, and eventually bring her home to Stephanie. A woman who knew how to cook and didn’t spend her time wrestling suspects and playing with guns. Nick could keep his distance from Erin, he told himself. He possessed the control. He certainly possessed the will.

In his dreams, maybe.

He stood on the front porch and stared at the driveway where her cruiser had disappeared just ten minutes earlier. Guilt tugged at him for the way he’d treated her. What had he been thinking, putting his hands on her like that? That wasn’t his style. She hadn’t deserved to be humiliated. She hadn’t deserved to be pawed at like some kind of sex object. She was no more ready for that kind of relationship than he was.

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