Read Halfway Hidden for Free Online Page A

her jeans.
    Murphy was only a few feet away. His narrowed eyes locked on her fly, watching as she eased down the zipper. His breathing slowed until it was a stilted mess, and she found herself a little breathless too, liking his reaction. She couldn’t help but feel a small victory, knowing she’d found a weak spot. Now she had to work out how to use it.
    He still wanted her; that much was clear. She’d been wondering if his flirting had all been a setup, and maybe it had, but the way he was looking at her through hooded eyes was enough to know the attraction between them was mutual. There was a buzz in the air, like the way the atmosphere crackled before a storm, and Rachel wondered if she could use it to her advantage.
    She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her jeans and wriggled her hips from side to side in an exaggerated motion. Easing the denim over her ass until the fabric loosened, she pushed them down past her knees, letting the fabric bunch around her calves.  Cool air bathed her exposed skin.
    She lingered for a moment, letting Murphy drink in the view before pulling her panties down too, baring herself before him. She watched his eyes darken at the sight.
    Heat burned in her belly like a ball of fire. This was a dangerous game, but her body didn’t seem to be getting the message. Murphy couldn’t drag his eyes away, his stare piercing as she laid herself bare. A surge of euphoria washed through her body. She’d forgotten how good it felt to be able to use her sexuality, to ward off fear with seduction. It wasn’t that she used sex as a weapon as much as a shield, like a buffer between the hunter and hunted. During her time in Boston, her acquiescence wasn’t a weakness, it was her strength, and if she enjoyed the sense of power it gave her right now, then she’d take it. She was hardwired to survive, no matter how tired she got of fighting.
    But there was something about him, some signal he was giving off, that made her think he wanted this. A shadow behind his eye, maybe, or the way his lip curled up at the corner. It wasn’t just that he was good looking, though that was enough to make her burn. It was more than that. He had a hard edge to him, but there was softness as well. She wanted him on her side.
    That was where her seduction would have to end, for now. There was nothing elegant about squatting over the toilet seat and pissing in front of a total stranger. But even that action kept his rapt attention, and only when she wiped herself and turned to flush did he snap back to reality.
    After zipping herself back up, she brushed past him and walked to the bank of sinks, twisting the tap and liberally pouring soap on her open palm. Her nose wrinkled at the whiff of antiseptic, the aroma cloying in her airways and itching at her throat.
    “Do you need to go?” she asked as she dried her hands on the rolling towel. Her voice sounded breathless, stretched way too thin.
    Murphy walked toward her, stopping only when their bodies were inches apart. She could feel the heat of his skin wash over her. The pounding of her heart had nothing to do with fear, and everything to do with the need to bang the ever-loving hell out of him. Her brain needed to send her body a memo. Tell it to get with the program.
    Murphy scanned her curves with his deep green eyes, his gaze lingering on her jeans. Confusion marred his face, tugging at his brow and pulling at his lips. He looked like a child who’d been told Santa didn’t exist. “I saw the scars on your leg, Lucy.” There was a softness again, something deep behind his gaze she found hard to define. He shook his head like he was trying to forget something painful.
    “It’s Rachel.” If he called her Lucy again, she’d go insane. She needed to cling on to something from her present, even if it was only her assumed name.
    He continued like he hadn’t heard her. “How did you get them?” His voice was thick and gruff, like he was trying not to show any