Destroyed by a Dangerous Man

By Cleo Peitsche

The family business is in trouble, and bounty hunter Audrey Stroop is dying to get back to work. Her boyfriend, ex-assassin Corbin Lagos, is equally determined to keep her safe.

To do that, he’ll stay close, even if it means trying to keep his dominant nature in check.

When they team up to solve what should be an open-and-shut private investigation case, Audrey learns that being the boss isn’t easy. In fact, it’s almost impossible.

Did she really think a dominant, dangerous man like Corbin could ever truly submit?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cleo Peitsche
• Release date: May 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310184239

Cleo Peitsche

If Cleo isn't writing (or reading!) erotica, she's probably sitting on her balcony, watching the wind blow through the trees. She loves snowstorms, piña coladas, horses, and pasta primavera. If she won the lottery, she would hire an assistant to take care of the technical side of e-publishing so that she could write all day.Some random facts about Cleo:1. Thinks life's too short to forgo HEAs and HFNs.2. Sprained an ankle joining the mile-high club. (Never again!)3. Favorite writers include Cormac Mccarthy, Junot Diaz and Rachel Caine.4. Gets weak-kneed for bookish guys who know how to fix things with their hands. *swoons*

Book preview

1

In the darkness , the hotel gym was a now-familiar outcropping of shadowy shapes.

I was hunkered down between the wall and the pungent receptacle for used towels. The seams of my jeans were cutting into my legs.

The phone in my fist remained silent.

Come on, I hissed.

My twin brother had put me on hold over two minutes ago. I didn’t have two minutes to spare.

The overhead lights flickered on.

I ducked my head to protect my eyes and crouched lower, my dark curls tumbling in front of my face.

Ok, I’m back. Rob sounded a little out of breath. Tons of interesting new cases came in. Big bounties to chase.

Tell me, I whispered. My heart pounded hard. I can definitely do research from here—

What am I forgetting? Something important. Two things, actually.

I pressed the phone harder against my ear. Yes?

Dad made a rating system for how many hours we can spend on a job. To cut back on what we’re passing to the part-timers. I didn’t want to vote for it, but, you know.

In other words, money was still tight. I probably would have voted for it, too. The second thing?

Wait. I just remembered something. You’re supposed to be enjoying Vienna, not calling home. Bad Audrey. What if Corbin finds out?

He won’t. And if he does find out—

Time’s up, a deep voice said. Corbin pulled the phone out of my hand. Sorry about that, Rob. Thanks for calling.

His vivid blue-green eyes were fixed on mine as he hung up.

My jaw dropped, then snapped shut. "Rob called you?" I growled as I rose to my full but unimpressive height.

Corbin’s muscles bulged as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was dressed for a workout, wearing lightweight shorts and a tissue-thin black shirt that clung to his torso and broad shoulders. It was strange to see him in an outfit that hadn’t cost thousands of dollars.

Yes, he called me. Because your brother has integrity.

My brother is a kiss-ass.

Corbin’s dark eyebrows drew together. A muscle tightened in his square jaw. When you agreed to this trip, you promised to leave work behind.

I wasn’t calling about work. I grabbed for my phone.

Corbin held it over his head—well out of my reach. A teasing smile made his handsome face irresistible. No?

You heard me.

Well, then, I suppose you were calling for help. He made a show of looking around. His masculine, woodsy scent did dizzying things to my head. After I got my phone back, maybe I could convince him to meet me behind the treadmill…

Then I realized he was watching me in a mirror.

Watching and smirking.

I glared.

So, baby. His voice was deep, seductive. Where are the hoodlums who chased you into the gym, who forced you to cower on the floor? I must have scared them away. Good thing your brother called me to come save you.

He dangled the phone a little lower.

A trap.

But I had to find out what was happening at home.

I went up on my tiptoes to reach it. We were so close that my breasts brushed against him. Electricity tingled through me.

We’ve only got a few days of vacation left, he said softly. Surely you can suffer through that, can’t you?

Sighing, I stepped back. But I wasn’t planning to cheat. I just wanted to see how things are coming along.

A distinction without a difference. Think I’ll hold on to this. He shoved my phone into a pocket.

My heart sank into my ankle boots.

Glad we had this chat. I’m going to get in a workout before dinner. Care to join me?

No, I said sullenly. I’m still sore from yesterday. I guess I’ll go… But what the fuck was there to do?

You could get a massage, Corbin said.

I’d had so many of them in the last three weeks that they’d turned into something to be endured.

The same for shopping (Corbin always insisted on paying, though he had allowed me to purchase a few cheap souvenirs to take home), sitting in hot tubs, getting manicures, and all the other things that had been fun at first. I’d been to art museums and operas, private tours of the countryside and masked balls.

To quote one of my favorite movies, I had culture coming out of my ass. I wanted to get my hands dirty.

I wanted to get back to work.

Maybe I’ll let someone grope me, I said. Ten minutes in an alley for ten minutes’ phone usage.

"Fine. The translation is Mein Freund ist ein eifersüchtiger Psychopath."

I didn’t need to speak German to recognize the word psychopath. Maybe I’ll just walk up to the guy and start undressing.

Corbin shrugged. It’s cold outside.

He was casual because he knew I couldn’t get into trouble. He’d made the front desk cut off long-distance access on the room phone. It was pretty much the first thing he’d done upon our arrival. The man had no faith in me.

The question was, had my brother been lying when he’d said there was action at home, or was that just to wind me up?

I needed to get hold of a phone.

2

We were staying in the middle of Vienna, in a hotel that, at twelve floors high, was a skyscraper by local standards.

As I boarded the glass elevator, I turned to look outside at the small, winding streets and the twist of spires and towers of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It was only around six, but the sun had set, and the evening sky cast a silvery glow over the city.

We were on a long vacation because I’d lost a bet to Corbin.

Vienna had been my choice.

He’d wanted to go someplace quiet—Alaska kept coming up. But I’d known I would get bored. There was only so much beauty and peace I could stand before going crazy.

So I’d plumbed my schoolgirl bucket list and came up with Vienna. I’d thought it would be full of cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and syphilitic musical geniuses strutting around in powdered white wigs.

Not quite, though some of the touristy areas came close. However, it was a pretty, charming city with plenty to do.

Except, no bounties to hunt down.

The elevator doors opened on the tenth floor, and a woman in her early sixties wearing a red T-shirt got on.

She pushed the button for the lobby. It wouldn’t remain lit.

This is going up, I told her.

Oh, is it? I’m sorry. She walked out, and I saw Critter Chomp Bar & Grill on the back of her shirt.

Critter Chomp? I said, so surprised that it just slipped out. In Ashdale?

She turned, her head tilting in puzzlement. Yes. You know Ashdale?

I stuck out my arm to stop the door from closing. My best friend lives ten minutes from the bar. She’s there all the time, and we always go when I visit.

My son is one of the managers.

Really? I know one of the managers. Um, Jimmy. Even as I said it, I could see the family resemblance, the same round spud of a head and wide eyes. It was a lot less cartoonish on a woman.

That’s my son! She looked thrilled. What’s your name?

The door bumped my arm again. Audrey Stroop.

He’s not going to believe it. He’s taking a walk with my husband.

"Jimmy is here?"

She nodded, and suddenly I realized what else had been missing from my vacation: people to talk to. Corbin was fantastic, smart, and entertaining, but apart from the occasional tourist, I had no one else to speak with.

The problem wasn’t even the language barrier; I would have felt just as isolated in any city where I didn’t know anyone.

What are you doing tonight? I asked.

We’ve got tickets to the opera, she said with a laugh. What else? A crafty look crossed her face. I don’t know how busy you are, but…

What?

Jimmy would surely love to get away from his parents for a few hours. If you’ve got free time tomorrow—

I’m sure I do.

We’re in room 1008.

I nodded enthusiastically. We’re in PH1, under the name of Meyer. The alias had been Corbin’s idea, for privacy.

Fancy, she said. Are you on your honeymoon?

No. Not yet, in any event.

My heart was light as I walked into our sumptuous penthouse suite. When I pressed the button beside the door, a dozen lamps spilled small pools of light onto the wall and carpet. Corbin had closed the drapes already, making the spacious rooms seem cozier.

The phone on the desk rang. Thinking it was Rob, calling to make amends, I sprinted across the carpeted floor to grab it.

It’s Jimmy.

My disappointment passed quickly. Hi! Yeah, I recognize your voice. It’s so great to hear from you! I sounded too enthusiastic, bordering on demented.

Talk about fate. I was planning to ask Veronica for your number when I got home.

Uh-oh. Maybe his mother had mistaken my eagerness for romantic interest. I tried to think of a subtle way to mention Corbin.

I know you’re a bounty hunter, but you’re also a private investigator, right?

The grin popped back onto my face. Sort of. Sometimes.

Technically, Stroop Finders wasn’t a private investigation firm. That was something I’d been trying to change for ages, and it was coming along… slowly.

"Well, I need an investigator. Booze got swiped