But just then his fist connects with my jaw and my head snaps back.

He’s landed a punch.

Sonofamotherfuckingbitch.

Enough.

I’d been playing before.

I turn, grab him by both hands, and twist them behind his back until he screams out in pain. Using my knees on his backside, I maneuver him to the ground as I clench his wrists. He whimpers and wiggles his legs, but gets nowhere. With my chest heaving, I sit on him.

Hell, it’s all I can do until the cops get here.

“Are you okay?” I ask Stone. My eyes rake over her, doing a mental check, looking for injuries. If she has so much as has a scratch on her . . . I’m going to pummel him.

She swallows, her throat working. “I’m fine. Kevin called the cops.”

For the first time, I notice Kevin is next to her, camera still in his hand.

I glare at him. Idiot.

But Stone’s ready. She shoots a look at Kevin, gets in the frame, and starts talking. Her blonde hair is a mess, but damn if her shirt isn’t secure and her skirt straight.

She’s talking about the incident as the mugger twists under me. I tighten my grip and keep my focus on him. Thankfully, the door from the stairwell bursts open and a parade of cops spills out and runs our way.

“ . . . my cameraman Kevin and I caught the suspect, who we can only assume to be the GreenStreet Grabber, in another attempt to attack an elderly woman.” She gets a serious look on her face, leveling her eyes at the camera, a determined glint there. “It was during the mayor’s press conference when I noticed a suspicious character headed toward the parking garage, the same location as the last three attacks, and while it was unclear if this man was the Grabber, it was clear something was amiss. We kept our eyes on him.” She is conveniently omitting the dangerous stalking vigilante stunt. “We heard screams and saw him accosting an elderly woman. We intervened on her behalf, and I managed to retrieve her purse from him before he ran.” She holds up the tattered bag like a trophy. “Our very own sportscaster Cade Hill chased him down. Thank goodness, he’s a former NFL superstar and athlete.”

Her eyes bounce to the police as they swarm, telling her and Kevin to step back. “As you can see, law enforcement is on the scene. We’ll have all the latest at ten. I’m Rebecca Fieldstone with KHOT 5, the station that goes beyond reporting to keep you safe.”

I stand as the cops sweep in and take the suspect from me, putting him in cuffs. He glares at me and mutters curses as the men separate us.

Grimacing, I step back and let them do their job. One of the cops pulls Stone, Kevin, and me to the side while another escorts the older lady to a quiet corner.

My shirt is ripped at the collar from the scuffle, my pants have a tear on the left side and I’ve lost a shoe. My adrenaline is ramped up so tight I’m ready to snap. With a clenched jaw, I send a narrowed gaze at Stone. When I get her alone, I don’t know if I’m going to yell until my voice is raw or fuck her silly. Or both.

A few hours later, we’re sitting at a rowdy sports bar near the station. Earlier, we’d finished our interview with the police and had headed to the news station to piece together the footage Kevin shot along with some B-roll from earlier in the day for the ten o’clock news.

Stone is next to me on a stool, Kevin has gone to the bathroom—he’s still shell-shocked—and Trent’s on the other side of me buying drinks for the whole place. Apparently Dad has officially hired him as the liaison for the school, and he’s feeling gifty.

I stare at Stone, my gaze heavy-lidded, as she tosses back another shot of Fireball my brother has pushed at her. She’s giddy with leftover excitement.

“Another round for the famous heroes here,” Trent calls to the bartender as he gestures toward Stone and me. “They saved lives today, people!”

“Here, here,” some of the crowd murmurs, having already heard the story from Stone.

Glasses clink as we do another toast and Stone grins at me over the rim of her cinnamon-flavored gasoline. “I’m glad you’re not mad at me anymore.”

I cock an eyebrow. “You’re going to make it up to me later.”

The thing is I had been pissed at her for taking on the mugger, but once I got her alone in the stairwell, all I’d wanted to do was put my mark on her—like a caveman.

So I had.

I’d taken her fucking pouty mouth with punishing kisses that had receded and turned soft when she moaned and pressed closer. I have no defenses when it comes to her—and I don’t even understand it.

She blushes and settles her hand on the bar. Being stealthy, I rest my hand alongside hers so that we’re touching but just barely. Still, it’s enough to make every hair on my body, every cell in my body, every muscle I have stand at attention.

The heat from her hand is miniscule but enough to make me hyperaware that my need for her is growing. The attraction between us is thick, and I want her more than I’ve ever wanted any female in my life.

Kevin wobbles back from the restroom and stands behind Stone. I move my hand that’s happy near Stone and use it to rub the back of my neck. I wonder how much longer I can pretend we’re not together.

Does it really matter now that Marv’s going to move her to production?

And that thought ramps me up.

I hadn’t told Stone about Marv’s decision.

How can I?

As if she senses a change in my emotions, she stops talking to Kevin, her eyes drifting to me.

I look at Trent to avoid them.

“Dude. You look like something your cat killed and dragged home,” Trent says, pointing at my torn shirt and pants.

“You be a hero next time,” I counter.

“I like this look on you,” Stone says. She adjusts the collar of my shirt, her fingers conveniently brushing at the sliver of bare chest that’s visible. Her greedy gaze is all over me, and Neanderthal that I am, I puff out my chest even more. She leans in to brush at a speck of dirt I’d missed earlier at the station, and I catch her sweet scent.

Kevin claps me on the shoulder and Stone eases back.

“Thank you, man. If you hadn’t shown up . . . I don’t know what would have happened.”

He’s thanked me at least a hundred times.

“No problem. Next time, though, save the criminals for the police. Got it?” My eyes land on Stone when I utter those last words.

Her lips twitch at my comment.

There’ll be no telling this woman what to do. Ever. And I know it.

I hear the music of KHOT and yell over the crowd for the barman to turn up the TV. He does and we watch as Matt and Lorie do the lead story. Of course it’s the footage Kevin shot.

Trent blows a piercing whistle. “Pay attention, everybody! My brother and Stone are on the news!”

The place gets quiet as the screen shows me sitting on the mugger. Stone gets a resounding cheer when she shows the purse she saved.

“Go, Rebecca!” someone in the crowd calls and she glows.

Later, Trent and Kevin are in an animated discussion over their favorite Slurpee flavor, so I lean over to Stone. “Do you have any fucking idea how gorgeous you are up there on that big screen?”

She bites her lip. “It was crazy, wasn’t it? At least I kept my shirt on.”

I laugh. “My mom would say you’re crazier than a sack full of rattlesnakes.”

“I’m not a snake!” She giggles.

“How about a sack full of kittens?”