Fourteen
You’re a dick, Duke
A dark forest, eerie quiet and angry blue eyes should have told me to run. Except for one thing, I was pissed off. Chief Duke Stetson, asshole to beat all other assholes stood in front of me, scowling, and it was a good thing for him his nuts weren’t in striking distance.
“Thought I told you to leave town,” he snapped.
“Seriously? You’ve arrested me, groped me, and now scared me half to death and you’re pissed because I didn’t leave town?” He, of course, being a subhuman ignored my tone and took a step forward.
“I may have released you, but that doesn’t mean I think you’re innocent. I don’t know who the fuck you called, but that makes twice you’ve nailed my balls and I want you gone.”
“Come any closer and I’ll make it three,” I hissed.
The bastard shook his head slowly, his jaw clenching as if he was trying to control his temper. Deal with it asshole off I’m not moving. Then he took a half step towards me.
Right, I’m not stupid, alone in the woods with a raging dickhead, I took a full step back. As he watched my retreat, his frown turned into a nasty smirk at my discomfort so I raised my light as a weapon.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“I was gonna ask you the same thing, Ms. Roberts. I got a call about someone shooting at a bear cub and look who I find wandering around in the dark.”
“Yes, chief, you found me out. I masquerade as a zoologist by day and kill the animals I protect by night.”
“That smart mouth of yours is gonna land you back in jail if you don’t answer my question.”
“What question would that be, the one about it being nippy out or?”
His nasty smirk turned down right ugly then, and I could have kicked myself for poking the asshole. But, really, how could I not? Apparently, he thought I was out of line as well because he reached behind his back and pulled out a set of cuffs. Holding them up where I could see them, he rattled the cuffs, scanned my body with his light, and then said, “Assume the position, Roberts. I’m taking you in under suspicion of shooting a bear cub. Which, by the way, is illegal in the great State of Alaska as I’m sure you well know.”
“If you take a step closer I’ll scream,” I spit out.
“Who’s gonna hear you? The ghost of the man you killed?”
Not only is Max gorgeous, but he has impeccable timing. Right on cue, light lit up the area as Max and Shane came into view hauling a man who looked like the gas station attendant. Max had hold of his arm as Shane carried two rifles. When they got close enough, Max took in Stetson stance and narrowed his eyes as he bit out “What the fuck is going on?”
“I’m here on a report of shots fired at a bear cub and now I find you and Ms. Roberts on the ridge with rifles in tow, so I’ll ask you the same question.”
Max shoved the gas station attendant towards Stetson, Shane tossed him a rifle, and then Max put out his hand to me. As I moved past Stetson, Max finally answered as he took my hand.
“Chuck here needs to confess to stupidity. Do your job and write him a ticket for endangering a bear cub.”
Max turned then, adding nothing further to the conversation, taking me with him as Shane followed.
I turned back and looked at Stetson as we descended. He was watching us leave, the glow from his flashlight clouding his features as he slapped cuffs onto Chuck. Done with that jerk, I turned back to Max and asked, “Did Chuck say why he shot at the bear cub?”
“Yeah, he said people were saying just ‘cause Zimmer was dead, it wouldn’t stop others from coming in his place. Like the idiot he is, he figured that if he killed all the bears no one would have a reason to kill the town with a national forest. The problem is, he’s not the only one with his head up his ass.”
“Wait, are you saying this won’t stop until the bears are all gone?”
Max stopped, looked at Shane then his eyes came back to mine and he nodded once. I felt the blood drain from my face at the thought of my bears being killed.
“Max,” I whispered, horrified that someone would kill these beautiful creatures.
His jaw grew tight as tears formed and spill down my face. And when my traitorous lips trembled, he tagged me around the neck leaning down until we were nose to nose.
“I’ll find a way to protect your bears, Mia. You have my word on that.” His words held conviction so I nodded quickly, wiping the tears from my face.
“Okay, Max.”
Somehow, I knew he’d do exactly that. He was Thor, God of Thunder and he scaled sixty-foot poles and chopped trees in half in thirty seconds, finding a way to save the bears should be a piece of cake.
“Yeah, Gary, I know it’s late, but this can’t wait. I need you to look into somethin’ for me first thing in the morning.”
Bone tired from a day on a saw, hauling ass to find Mia, and then climbing the ridge because of Chuck, Max stripped out of his clothes as he spoke to his attorney. He didn’t know if he could pull this off and he wasn’t about to get Mia’s hopes up before he had a plan in place, but he sure as hell was gonna try. If the town idiots had it in their heads to kill off Mia’s bears, then he sure as hell was gonna do everything in his power to stop them. The how of it seemed simple enough, it was the legalities he needed to look into before he told Mia his plan.
After Max ended his call, he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Steam rose as the water turned hot, and he stepped under the cleansing spray. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax as the hot water pummeled his tired muscles. With his eyes closed, he tilted his head back and let the water rinse away the day.
The smell of sunshine on a winter’s day surrounded him just as a soft hand reached out and stroked his stomach. Max didn’t move, didn’t breathe, when soft lips kissed his chest. His hands came up and cupped the firmest ass he’d ever seen and then held on as a pink tongue flicked his nipple. He hissed when perfect teeth scraped across his chest as a small hand grabbed hold of his erection and began a slow, rhythmic torture. Mia kissed her way to his mouth, licked his bottom lip, and the hold he’d had on his arousal broke loose as he claimed her mouth.
Max pushed her against the shower wall, then pinned her hands above her head as he delved into her sensual mouth. Running his hand down her soft curves, he found the apex of her legs and ripped his mouth from hers.
“Fuckin’ drenched for me,” he hissed as his fingers entered her silken core.
Mia threw her head back and bit her lip as Max watched her face succumb to his rhythm. He wanted that mouth back so he took it as she gasped and rode his hand. She whimpered as her body squirmed on the wall, her wet core tightening around his fingers. Max knew she was close, so he brought his thumb up, rolled her clit, and watched as she panted, shuddered, and finally cried out “Max” while he locked his jaw to keep from climaxing at the fucking sight of her.
Christ, she was the sexiest thing he’d even seen, the most compatible lover he’d ever had, and she was fucking exquisite when she threw her head back and screamed his name, Max thought.
As she panted through the aftershocks, Max lowered to his knees and draped one of her legs over his shoulder. He was determined to taste her sweet honey before he rammed himself so deep he’d never want to leave. Her hands came to his head and she tangled her fingers in his hair, gasping, “Baby, I, oh, God,” as his tongue snaked out and flicked her sensitive bud. He smiled when she jerked tightening her fingers in his hair, and he knew she wanted more when she pulled him back to her core. She was greedy for his mouth, moved against him as she cried out in pleasure. But he was done waiting, he needed to feel the heat of her body wrapped around him so he drew his mouth from her body, and stood as she begged “No, don’t stop.”
Grabbing her leg as he stood, he wrapped it around his hip as he positioned himself and slowly sank in, his own moan held in check so he could concentrate on her. When he was buried to the hilt, he pulled out and watched their connection as he thrust back in, repeatedly. Mia held on as he filled her body, building a fire that would erupt for them both. As he powered into her, he reached between them and applied pressure to her sex, then claimed her mouth as she cried out, her fingernails scoring his back as he grunted his own release. Their relationship was now solidified with the coming together of bodies and minds.
Tremors wracked his body as one of the strongest climaxes he’d ever had nearly took him to his knees. Then Max felt his center of gravity shift again. If he thought his world had tilted off its axis when he looked into her eyes the first time, he was wrong. The moment he spilled his seed, wishing it would take root, giving him a child, he knew it had then. He’d tilted, spun sideways, gone end over end, and then realized everything he thought he wanted out of life was a lie. This city girl with her klutzy ways, ridiculous glasses, and cute-ass shirts had him by the proverbial balls and he didn’t give a fuck. If she thought for one minute she was ever leaving, she was wrong, dead wrong. She was his now and she’d have to get used it.
Lowering her to both feet, Max touched his forehead to hers as they both caught their breath.
“Jesus,” Max mumbled when he realized he’d never surface again, was officially a drowning man.
“I’d say one part of our trial relationship works,” Mia panted as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
It all worked as far as he was concerned, but something told him to keep that to himself.
Shower complete, clothes back on, they settled on his deck with a beer. Max hadn’t eaten and Mia never finished her dinner, so he pulled out the steaks and lit the grill. Mia was laying on a lounger he’d built as his dog begged for attention. Muttley climbed up and then rolled into a hundred and twenty-five pound ball beside her as she stroked his head and sipped her beer, all while staring at the northern lights as they danced across the horizon.
The bright green of the Aurora Borealis floated weightlessly and glowed as they lit up the night sky. Max knew the effect came from the collision of solar wind and magnetospheric charged particles, but he liked to think of it as God’s way of saying “I’m out here watching over you.”
As he watched her pet his dog, he decided the dog needed to move and make room for him. It was time to get to know each other on another level and he figured no time like the present.
Grabbing his beer he ordered, “Muttley, down,” then pulled her forward and settled in behind her placing her between his legs with her head on his chest. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he asked, “Tell me about your childhood,” as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
“Just a typical childhood really, my dad was a professor of English Lit. till he retired last year and my mother is a homemaker.”
“You got siblings?”
“No. Mom tried for years to get pregnant again, but couldn’t, so it’s just me. Though, Jess is like a sister,” Mia answered.
Moving her hair aside, Max kissed her neck and asked “Favorite pet?”
“Are we playing twenty questions?”
“Just gettin’ to know you better. Your body I have memorized,” he whispered and then nipped her neck, “but I want to know what makes you tick,” he explained as he gently bit her ear.
“Okay,” she breathed out shivering against him.
“So, favorite pet?” he asked again, but ran his tongue around her ear because he could.
“Basil,” she stuttered and Max smiled. The fact she was putty in his hands boded well for him in future arguments. ”Um, Basil, my Chinchilla was my favorite.”
“Odd name for a pet.”
“It was my grandfather’s name. Gran, gave me the Chinchilla as a gift, said it reminded her of my late grandfather so I named him Basil.”
“Okay, fair enough, next question. Have you ever been married?” He asked and then held his breath for an answer.
“No, never came close,” she laughed, then paused and asked, “What about you? Have you ever come close?”
“Nope, been busy building my dad’s company.”
“Ever been in love?” she mumbled as she turned to look at him.
“Nope,” he answered because that was the truth. He’d had feelings for Kelly, but he knew when she left he wasn’t in love. He’d found her letter, gone to the bar and had a drink with his friends, then he’d gone home and fell right to sleep.
Staring into her crystal blue pools, he felt his chest tighten. No, he’d never been in love before, that much he was certain of. If he’d ever felt like he did right now he’d have remembered that.
“Last question, one I need answered,” he whispered in her ear. “Do you still think I’m Loki or have I regained my Thor status?
“Well, look who the bear dragged in,” Jess chuckled when Max dropped me at Maxine’s the next morning. To say I was tired didn’t cover it, but I was pleasantly tired, so I just smiled and grabbed a cup of coffee.
After our late night dinner under the stars, Max took me to bed and shot me straight to the Milky Way. One thing was for certain if we stayed together, I wouldn’t get much sleep. I suppose we all have our crosses to bear and this was mine. As you can imagine, I’m not complaining.
“Looks like Max convinced you to stay a few more days.”
“Yeah, he explained why I should stay a few more days in terms I could understand,” I yawned around a sip of coffee.
“Yeah, right,” she snorted. “Tell me what happened to the bears last night.”
“God, Jess, the poor thing had been shot in the shoulder, and its mother was upset, pacing, and grunting. I’m actually shocked she didn’t attack. Females are fiercely protective and care for their cubs for up to three years. Her behavior reminded me more of an anxious mother waiting to see if her child would be okay. Almost as if she knew, we were helping her cub. It was fascinating from a zoological aspect and I think a study is in order to see if this has happened before.”
“Does Max think it’s sexy when you go all logical and scientific?”
“No, but you were right, he is attracted to my vertical challenges,” I laughed.
“Told ya!”
“I bow to your superior knowledge.”
Maxine had baked again and there were muffins on the table, so I reached out and snagged one. As I peeled back the paper cup, I finished my account of the night before.
“Anyway, while we were descending the ridge with Doctor Sherman, Max heard someone in the forest and they took off after them. While I was waiting,” I said around a mouthful of muffin, “Chief Stetson scared the shit out of me.”
“What was he doing up there?” Jess asked as she grabbed a muffin as well.
“Looking for the shooter, he said. He’s such an ass he actually tried to arrest me again, can you believe it? No doubt he was hoping to grope me again.”
Jess had taken a sip of her coffee when I said that and began choking on the coffee, sputtering, “Say that again?”
“Oh, that’s right, we’ve been so busy chasing killers I didn’t’ tell you the rest of the story about the good chief. That’s why I kneed him. While he was frisking me he “accidentally,” I emphasized by raising my hands in air quotations “on purpose brushed his hand across my breast.”
I felt the room go electric when I finished and jumped when I heard Maxine hiss, “That sonofabitch,” from behind me.
Turning around, I looked up at her and saw the fire in her eyes. Oh boy! I’d hoped to avoid her or Max finding out. Something told me their tempers would land them in jail if they knew.
Time for damage control!
“Maxine—”
“That sonofabitch,” she repeated only louder this time.
Then Jess joined in.
“Are you telling me the Chief of Police copped a feel while he was arresting you?”
“Okay, you both need to simmer down. He’s an ass, but I took care of it when I busted his balls, we’re even now.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking Jess?” Maxine asked completely ignoring me.
“If it involves tar and feathering his ass then yes I am,” Jess answered back.
“Oh, no, you are not going head to head with that guy,” I tried to reason.
“I’ll get my purse,” Jess replied ignoring me.
No way was I letting them leave so I jumped up, hands thrust out to stop them, and shouted, “Wait,” but both ladies marched right past me as if they were deaf. I followed them out of the kitchen begging them not to get involved, but a slammed door in my face told me I’d have more luck talking to a brick wall.
Now what?
The only people I knew in this town besides Max, Maxine, and Martha were the peroxide twins. Martha ran the Post Office and Max, well, if Maxine reacted this way, no telling how he would react. Do I sit here and wait, praying Stetson doesn’t arrest them both or do I call Max and bring the wrath of Thor down from the mountain? Seeing no alternative, I went with option three. If I could stop Maxine and Jess without Max finding out I’d put up with Joanne and Suzy. First, I had to find them and the only number I had was Max’s. Deciding avoidance of said axe god would be wise, I grabbed a phone book and called the Post Office.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock on Maxine’s door and I found Suzy on the other side.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Let’s do this,” I replied.
We piled into her red Ford pickup and went in search of Maxine and Jess.
“The police station is the most likely place, don’t you think?”
“Nah, everyone knows you can’t mess with Stetson, he’s a dick. The only way to get back at him for being a dick is to hit him where it hurts,” she explained.
“And how would you do that?”
“The only thing he cares about . . . his boat.”
“And you think Maxine knows this?”
“Whole town knows it. He works on that thing every waking minute he’s not on duty.”
“Then let’s go to his house and see if they’re there,” I replied and off we went.
I had to give her credit, she knew exactly where to find them. Only problem was, we were too late. Flames shot from what looked to be a sailboat parked at the side of a small cabin on the lake. When Suzy came to a stop out front, we both jumped out looking for Thelma and Louise. They were gone. A hit and run attack on Stetson’s prized possession was the only evidence they’d been here.
When I looked at the towering inferno that used to be his boat, I considered finding a hose to try to douse the flames, but it was too late. The heat rolling off the boat was overpowering, so we backed up, but continued staring like deer caught in headlights.
When we turned to leave, and took a step towards her truck, a deafening explosion destroyed what was left of the boat. Suzy and I hit the dirt and covered our heads as debris rained down us. The next thing I knew there were hands pulling me from the ground and when I turned around, I found Stetson and Chester Tallchief glaring at me.
“It wasn’t me, we were just out for a drive and saw the flames,” I explained.
“Honestly, I picked her up not ten minutes ago I was showing her the area, Duke.”
He narrowed his eyes, looked between us both, then looked back at his boat and thundered, “Fuck,” as he watched it burn.
“Go now, leave,” Chester told me and he didn’t have to tell me twice. I grabbed Suzy’s hand and we hightailed it out of there.
Stunned by the turn of events, we were half-way back to Maxine’s before the laughter ensued. By the time we pulled up to the house, I couldn’t breathe. I stumbled out of her truck, waved goodbye and made my way inside to two women relaxed at the kitchen table, enjoying their breakfast. They looked up, smiled, and I burst out laughing again. One thing I was sure of, I’ll never cross those two. They give a whole new meaning to the term “force to be reckoned with.”