Bait. Samantha Keith

      

      Cover Copy

      There are good guys, and then there are highly trained good guys—the kind who make the world a safer, sexier place…

      Former military and ex-FBI agent Ethan Worth is searching for a new way to serve and protect. On a break in Beaufort, North Carolina, he just may have found it. It starts with saving a tipsy damsel in distress from a shady troublemaker. But it ends with the surprisingly sober beauty outraged by his rescue. That’s all Ethan needs for his expert instincts to kick into high gear…

      Riley Reynolds is back in Beaufort for one reason only: to find her missing best friend, Hanna. If that means using herself as bait for the kind of guy who’d prey on a vulnerable young woman, so be it. She doesn’t need a rugged knight in shining armor like Ethan distracting her, and she doesn’t want his help. But it turns out she needs it. And together, as the heat between them rises, so does the danger. Until both their lives are on the line…

      Also by Samantha Keith

      The Dangerous Distractions Series

      Abducted

      Bait

      Exposed

      Table of Contents

      Cover Copy

      Also by Samantha Keith

      Acknowledgments

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 26

      Epilogue

      Teaser Chapter

      About the Author

      Bait

      Samantha Keith

      LYRICAL PRESS

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

       www.kensingtonbooks.com

      To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

      LYRICAL PRESS BOOKS are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      119 West 40th Street

      New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2018 by Samantha Keith

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

      All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund-raising, educational, or institutional use.

      Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Sales Manager: Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018. Attn. Sales Department. Phone: [phone].

      Lyrical Press and Lyrical Press logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      First Electronic Edition: November 2018

      eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0671-4

      eISBN-10: 1-5161-0671-7

      First Print Edition: November 2018

      ISBN-13: 978-15161-0674-5

      ISBN-10: 1-5161-0674-1

      Printed in the United States of America

      Acknowledgments

      I’d like to dedicate this book to my amazing family. To my husband Jesse, for always being supportive. I love taking some of your qualities—even the annoying ones—and applying them to my heroes. For my daughters Skylar and Isla. Writing is something so very personal and gratifying for me, but I think I will always struggle with “mom-guilt” for taking time away from you guys. But it brings me so much joy that I hope you will one day realize I’m a better mother and overall human being because of it. I’d also like to thank my parents, especially my mom, for their continued support.

      Danielle, thank you for your friendship. I love that we share this passion and all of our random, sometimes late night, ideas that we bounce off of each other. I can’t wait for the day we decide to co-write something together!

      Thank you to my agent Liz, and to my editor Selena. I’m so fortunate to have such great people in my corner helping me make my work as strong as it can be.

      Lastly, thank you to my readers! I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you chose to read Bait. I hope it exceeds your expectations.

      With love,

      Samantha Keith

      Chapter 1

      Lord Jesus, it was her. She hadn’t seen him yet, thank god.

      Ethan pulled his baseball cap low over his eyes and rounded his shoulders over his glass of rum and Coke.

      He kept his head low, but his eyes trained on her. Riley wore denim cut-off shorts and a white lace crop top that revealed her flat, lightly tanned stomach. The man beside her passed her another shot. She tossed it back expertly. Ethan slid his thumb over the cool glass in his hand. That’s two now, and before the shots she’d been sipping on a brightly colored cocktail. That was a lot of alcohol for someone her size.

      She passed the man her empty shot glass. He slid an arm around her back, inching closer to her. For a flicker of an instant, her face changed. Her eyes grew small and her jaw tensed. A shaky smile returned when he touched her chin and turned her face toward him. Her fingers toyed with a long tendril of her hair that fell in soft waves around her breasts.

      The man tucked her hair over her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She bit her lip.

      Shit.

      Ethan tightened his hand on the sweating glass. She didn’t know the dude. All he had to go by was instinct and his experience on reading people. One thing was for sure, the asshole was all over her. If he was her boyfriend, he wouldn’t be trying so damn hard.

      Dammit, he shouldn’t care. She wasn’t his problem. Since he’d moved in next door to her a couple weeks ago, she’d been friendly but completely disinterested in his attempts at small talk. Not that he’d done anything but be polite to her.

      Riley had a wall of ice behind her green eyes and tight smile. No one was getting beyond that guard…except the douchebag that kept touching her.

      The man trailed a finger over Riley’s collarbone, his face tucked closely to her ear. Her cheeks turned a ripe shade of pink. She ducked