Simon Says Die

made a choking sound and broke the kiss, grabbing her roving hands. He took a deep, shaky breath as he forced her back. “Stop,” he rasped.
    She frowned and stepped closer, tugging her hands out of his grasp. “Why?”
    He drew another deep breath. “For one thing, we’re on a public sidewalk.”
    Her eyes widened as she looked around at the small audience they’d gained—an elderly couple shaking their heads as they walked by, two teenaged boys grinning and whispering a few feet away, making no attempt to hide their interest.
    She shrugged. The delicious heat he’d awakened still curled through her. She’d missed this. She’d missed him . She ran her fingers down the front of his shirt. “Then let’s go to my house where we can be alone.”
    He grabbed her hands and firmly removed them from his chest. “What about your husband? If your stalker is who you think he is, you’re still married.”
    She twisted her fingers beneath his until she was holding his hands. “We’re not married. I divorced Damon.”
    He stilled. “What did you say?”
    She pulled a hand free and reached up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “There’s no reason we can’t enjoy each other for a couple of hours, like old times.”
    He grabbed her hand again. “That’s not going to happen. Play your games with someone else. I’m not getting back on that merry-go-round.” He pulled her toward his car and yanked the passenger door open. “Get in.”
    She plopped down on the seat, blinking against the unexpected moisture in her eyes at his merry-go-round comment. She’d definitely met her goal of making sure he didn’t try to stop her when she broke up with him. Maybe she shouldn’t have tried quite so hard.
    He slammed her door shut and crossed around the front of the car to the driver’s side. He got in, but instead of starting the engine, he grabbed her purse.
    â€œHey, what are you doing?” She tried to grab her purse back, but he held it out of her reach.
    â€œI’m trying to keep you out of jail, but you’re making it extremely difficult.” He took out her .357 Magnum and shook his head as he shoved the gun under his seat. “Are you hiding any more weapons I should know about?”
    She glared at him. “Why don’t you search me and find out?”
    His jaw tightened as he tossed the purse in her lap. He turned the key, making the engine roar.
    â€œWhere are we going?” she demanded.
    He slammed the gas pedal, throwing her back in her seat. “Neutral territory.”
    M ADISON STOPPED IN front of the sign, “October 9, 1779. In Memory of Those Who Fought Here.” Beside her, Pierce stared across the expanse of brownish-green grass that spanned Battlefield Park.
    â€œHow is this neutral territory?” Madison asked.
    â€œNo cops.” Pierce glanced down at her. “No guns. Just you and me, on a battlefield. Seems appropriate. We’re about to do battle. And we’re not leaving until one of us wins.”
    With that ominous statement, he grabbed her hand and hauled her to a bench that looked out over the grassy fort. She reluctantly sat beside him and tugged her hand out of his grasp. The man was far too bossy.
    And far too appealing.
    How could she want to hit him and kiss him at the same time?
    He leaned back and propped his arm behind her. “We need to talk.”
    When she didn’t say anything, he sighed heavily and pulled his arm back, then twisted to face her. “Please.”
    That one little word, spoken so softly, was her undoing. The man had taken a bullet for her. The least she could do was try to answer his questions, or at least, she’d answer what she could without revealing too much. That bitter taste was already coming back in her mouth because of the lies she knew she would have to tell.
    â€œW HY DID YOU go to MacGuffin’s?” Pierce asked. “The place wasn’t even open.”
    Madison’s eyes widened, and Pierce saw a flash of panic cross her face. He could practically see the gears spinning in her mind, searching and sifting for that elusive answer, the lie she would tell to get him to leave her alone.
    Tough. She could lie to him all day, and it wouldn’t matter. He wasn’t going to leave her alone until he got the truth.
    â€œMacGuffin’s,” he repeated.
    She