Chapter Five
Hours passed while Cecily waited for Judd to return. She shouldn’t be so put out that the sheriff hadn’t returned to fix her door. But she felt a little let down.
Of course he had a very busy job, was important in the community, and something more pressing had come up.
So why hadn’t he called her to tell her?
In the end, she’d found some scraps of chipboard in a dumpster from one of the other local businesses and managed to nail them to the broken door. It looked godawful and wouldn’t keep out a moth.
The thought of all she’d lost since coming to Bracken made her stomach burn with acid. Right now, she was helpless. At least she’d made that call to her landlord, who was sending somebody to look at the roof in the morning. Luckily, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and she’d only emptied the bucket twice.
She had a few pieces of cold pizza left—turned out the vegetarian pizza with no cheese from Padre’s was pretty good—and she carried them on a napkin downstairs to her shop again. The lights cast a golden glow to chase away her melancholy. Except it didn’t work. Her mind was filled with shadows of what-ifs and whodunits.
She sank to the floor to eat her pizza, leaning against the leg of the desk.
When Judd walked into her shop, the bell tinkling at his entrance, she paused with the pizza halfway to her lips.
“You look like hell,” he said.
She prickled and drew herself to her feet. “You don’t look like a country picnic either. Where’d you get that cut on your cheek?”
He raised his fingertips to lightly touch the edge of the abrasion. “Caught a boot heel in the face. I’m fine. You look like you’ve been crying all day.”
“Haven’t you ever heard it’s rude to comment on a lady’s appearance? Nobody wants to hear they look like crap with bags under their eyes and a red nose.”
He stepped farther into the room and closed the door. Then he turned to stare at the mess she’d made of her repair.
“I’m no handywoman, okay? I’ve only ever nailed up pictures onto the wall.” Several of the nails had bent over and she’d been unable to pull them out, so she’d hammered them flat.
“You didn’t wait for me.”
She looked down, a tumbling feeling in her stomach at the sound of his disapproving tone. “I didn’t hear from you and I had no idea if you were coming back.”
“I keep my promises, Cecily.”
“How could I know that?”
“I think I know your problem here.”
“What’s that?” She hated the sting inside her at his words. And the warm tingles at being under his gaze was confusing as hell. But she was eager to know his thoughts on the break-ins.
His stare unsettled her. Made her want to look away and run at the same time. Why was he looking at her that way?
“You failed to give me all the information.”
She shook her head in confusion. “What? I told you everything.”
“You didn’t tell me about your husband.”
She froze, unable to even blink after that bomb had been dropped. She gave a chuckle. “Husband? I’m not married.”
He arched a brow, and beneath it, his eyes were cold. She was in the crosshairs of one Sheriff Judd Roshannon, and she didn’t need to be gifted to understand that was a bad place to be.
“I ran your name, Cecily.”
“So? All you’ll find is a parking ticket in my last town after I was stuck in line at the drugstore one day I was buying allergy medicine.”
That tendon in the crease of his jaw flickered. In, out, in, out. Her heart started to pound faster in rhythm to it.
He dug a folded piece of paper from his chest pocket. He flipped it open and read. “Says here you are married to a guy named Cole.”
Her jaw dropped. Now that name was a blast from her past, like a reminder of a teen celebrity she’d crushed on back in the day.
“Cole Braden…” she whispered.
“No. Brady. Cole Brady.”
She eyed Judd. “Are you sure? I thought it was Braden.”
He goggled at her. “How the hell don’t you know the last name of your husband?”
She shook her head at the mention of a husband. This was getting ridiculous. “We aren’t married. There was a hair convention in Vegas about five years back. I’d just gotten out of beauty school and a few of my friends and I went to this huge hair show.”
Judd was as still as stone, a chiseled god with his head cocked, looking at her as if she was crazier than a shithouse rat.
“I met Cole in the swimming pool and well, it was Vegas. We’d been drinking and things heated up quickly. After a whole day of margaritas and beer, he thought it would be fun to visit one of those wedding chapels. Before I knew it, we were standing before a preacher I’m sure was a drag queen. Or maybe just a really tall woman. I don’t know for sure—I was tipsy.”
Judd made a sound in his throat like nails stuck in a blender.
She sped through the rest of the tale. “So we were married in a Vegas chapel, but it wasn’t real.”
“Was there a marriage license issued?”
“Well, I’m not sure. We had a packet of papers they gave us but I just threw them away when I was packing to go home. And I never heard from Cole Braden again.”
“Brady,” he corrected through clenched jaw. “And yes, you must have been legally married, because it’s in the system that he’s your husband.”
She jerked backward a step. “Can’t be true. The system’s wrong.”
“The system’s never wrong. Are you telling me you had no idea you’re actually married, Cecily?”
“No. I’m not married.”
In one stride, he grabbed her by the elbows and yanked her onto tiptoe. At the same moment, he dipped his head and crushed his lips to hers. A hard stamp of his mouth that stole all the thoughts of being a wife from her mind and replaced it with a dark longing so strong that she swayed.
Judd kept her upright, tugging her closer as he slanted his mouth across hers and speared his tongue between her lips. She gasped at the invasion and tasted pure minty, delicious male. Her eyes slipped shut and she clung to his shirt front, her fist in the fabric barely holding her up. If not for his big palm planted on her ass, she would have fallen over.
Speaking of that big palm…
Shivers of heat ran through her bum, up into her spine and down her thighs too. Her mind blanked to everything but sensations as he slid his tongue across hers for five heated, thought-stealing strokes.
* * * * *
He pulled away from the kiss but moved in again, this time running his rough, stubbled jaw over her skin. He was fucking marking her. Yeah, he was an asshole. Why was he feeling so possessive toward this woman anyway?
Her chest rose and fell against his, her perky breasts cramping him into all kinds of bent-up positions. He inhaled her spicy-sweet fragrance and let her go. She dropped to her heels and stared at him, eyes hazy.
Her cheek wearing the redness of his beard scrape.
His gut clenched, balls tightened. Fuck yeah, seeing her wearing his marks dizzied him.
“I’ll make some calls about this matter.”
She blinked at his words as if she’d forgotten his reason for being here. No wonder—he could hardly think around the hard steel rod in his jeans.
“I’m not married, I’m telling you.”
“Cecily.” He looked into her eyes. Was she so naïve that she believed a fun little marriage ceremony in Vegas couldn’t possibly be legal?
The fact she didn’t even know the guy’s name gave Judd an edge of satisfaction.
“Judd, you have to believe me. I’m not married. I mean, you wouldn’t have kissed me if you actually believe that, would you?”
Fuck, now he felt like a cheater. When he’d kissed her, he hadn’t been thinking of anything but tasting her sweet, plump lips and curbing the dark urge inside him.
And claiming her.
“I know what I read on that report. Here, have a look.” He held out the paper and she took it from his hands like she was picking up a venomous snake.
He watched her face as she scanned the contents. Then she folded it neatly and handed it back to him. “I don’t believe for a minute it’s real or binding. It was a joke, a farce. We’d known each other a few hours and we never even went to bed. We got a bottle of champagne and I woke up the next morning with him gone.”
“Lots of people get married in Vegas believing it isn’t real, Cecily. Some cases, it isn’t. It’s theatrical, a show for their entertainment and their friends’ too. But in some cases, and it seems to be yours, there’s a license issued. You can see the numbers right there on the paper. In the state of Nevada, you were married.”
Cecily rubbed a hand over her eyes. Without looking at him, she said, “And you believe Cole is responsible for the break-ins here? A man I haven’t seen since that night five years ago? He doesn’t even know I own a business. He doesn’t know where I am, even. And I bet he doesn’t know we’re married either, if that’s even the case.”
Judd studied her. He hated that she was so torn up and he’d added more stress to her life. But it was definitely an avenue he had to investigate. Besides, she needed to know she was legally married so she could fucking undo it.
“If you didn’t consummate the marriage, you can get an annulment easy enough.”
She nodded. “I’ll call around and see if it’s real and then deal with an annulment if that’s the situation.” She let out a harsh sigh, and he could see how long her day had been.
Shadows like bruises smeared beneath each green eye and a trace of redness from blowing her nose too much. When she’d rubbed her eyes, he’d noticed a bandage on her forefinger.
He caught her wrist and drew her closer to inspect her hand. “You cut yourself?”
She nodded. “Just a scrape. There was a sliver of glass I didn’t see when I was cleaning up.”
Holding her hand made his pulse pound hard. His cock was stiffer than ever, and he let his gaze drop to her mouth again. What was it about this woman? Deep down he was thrilled she wasn’t truly entangled with a husband. On the other hand, he was angry with himself because he shouldn’t want any woman after what Cassie had put him through.
Still, Judd couldn’t help himself from lowering his mouth to brush against the backs of Cecily’s fingers. She jolted, but he held firmly to her hand and passed his mouth over her knuckles and then to her wrist where her pulse flickered. Under his kiss, her pulse sped up. She curled her fingers into a light fist.
He raised his head and looked into her eyes. “You’ve had a long day. You have to be hungry.”
“Not really.”
He shot a look at the pizza abandoned on the floor.
“Well, I was before I found out I might be married.”
His chest burned at the reminder. “Why don’t I walk down the street and get us something to eat. Italian this time, takeout. Can you eat Italian or does it go against your Vegan sensibilities? We’ll eat and then I’ll make sure you’re secure here so you can get a good night’s sleep.”
She laughed, a hollow, grating sound. “That’s never going to happen.”
He doubted she’d be donning those headphones anytime soon.
“I have the wood to fix your door, but I think what you’ve done will hold for a night. Besides, there isn’t much left to steal here. In the morning, I’ll have my guy come by and install a new door, a heavy one with good locks.” Troyer had told him the local store didn’t have a door to fit the odd-sized, old-fashioned opening, but Judd had a buddy in the next town who did.
“I don’t need your charity,” Cecily said.
It was too much—her big eyes, her soft body. He grabbed her and whirled her to the wall, pinning her, his body holding her prisoner.
“No, you need this.” He kissed her, this time with a passion he hadn’t shown or felt in many years. Over and over, he slanted his mouth across hers until small moans escaped her throat.
Panting, he broke free and stared down at her. She breathed heavily, her lips damp and swollen from his harsh caress.
He’d feel bad if she didn’t look so fucking perfect right now.
“Go upstairs and clean up and we’ll go to the Italian joint together.”
“I… I look terrible.”
“Impossible, but your eyes look a little red still. Go on.” He pushed her toward the stairs and she went, looking back over her shoulder once. Damn, the woman could do a lot with one long look. Did she even realize how her obeying affected him?
* * * * *
The Italian restaurant looked more like a family restaurant, lacking the décor of the places she’d been to. Judd seated her in a booth and kept glancing at her above his menu.
She sent a covert look or two his direction as well. Figuring out what was going on with him was like guessing the winning horse at a race—she was completely clueless.
He was taking her to dinner to be nice, a good Samaritan gesture because she was going through a rough patch.
So why had he kissed her? She didn’t have any answers for that one, just the residual tingles coursing through her body.
“Hey there, Sheriff. Haven’t seen you in a few days.” The waitress stood with pen poised over order pad.
With a smile, he scratched his jaw with a blunt thumbnail, creating a low rasping noise that Cecily wished she hadn’t heard. Under the table, she squeezed her thighs together. Still tasting his tongue, feeling his hands on her ass as he ravished her mouth.
Judd nodded toward Cecily to order first, and she was caught off guard. “Uhh, I’ll have the penne with pesto.”
“You want chicken with that?” the waitress asked.
“No thank you.”
“Garlic bread?”
“That will be fine.” She was relieved there was something on the menu she could order—otherwise, she’d be forced to pick around a dish that she didn’t believe in eating.
Judd got the spaghetti and meatballs.
“Big surprise.” The waitress dropped him a wink and scuttled off with their order.
He gave Cecily an apologetic smile. “I might spend too much time eating out.”
“When you’re alone, it’s harder to cook for yourself.”
“My dog wishes I would though. He doesn’t favor pasta or Chinese. Pizza suits him fine, though.”
She smiled to imagine him with a companion, sharing a pizza. It was a little sad too.
Leaning her elbows on the table, she said, “What kind of dog is it?”
“Cattle hound. He’s a few years old but still all puppy. Loads of energy, and I don’t always have time to address those needs.”
He could spend time addressing hers…
She felt herself growing dreamy-eyed as she looked at Judd and quickly turned her attention to her straw wrapper. She crimped it into an accordion shape and let it spring open on the table several times.
“So…” He sat back to study her from steely eyes that were anything but cold right now. He’d removed his hat and placed it on the seat next to him. “Tell me about this Vegas wedding again?”
“Oh Judd.” She pasted her hand over her face and peeked between her fingers. “Do you really believe I’m married?”
“I don’t just believe it, baby doll. I know it.”
At the endearment, she squeezed her thighs together again. By the time they finished dinner, she would have the buffest inner thigh muscles of her life. Judd Roshannon was her personal ThighMaster.
“How horrible. What if he’s gotten married since?”
“I didn’t see anyone linked to him.”
Cecily stared at him. “You checked him out?”
“Just doin’ my job,” he mumbled as the garlic bread arrived, steaming and fragrant in a wicker basket.
Dinner passed with them exchanging little bits of their lives. She found out that he was a self-professed workaholic, and she confessed she was a little bit of one too, especially when she got enough clients who wanted evening hours.
“If I ever get that far,” she said ruefully, picking at her pasta. The pesto was from a jar but better than she’d been eating lately.
He set down his fork and met her gaze. “I promise I”ll catch who’s doing this to you, Cecily.”
“I know you’re busy—”
“No, I’ve been digging. Not only has Troyer been on the case, but I’ve been questioning people for days. I’m not coming up with much yet, but it won’t be long now.”
“Won’t be long?” she echoed.
He dipped his head in a nod. “That’s right. Often crimes like these take a few days or even weeks to come to light. But somebody will slip.”
“And if they don’t?”
“We get you that better door and extra locks and you keep building your business. Did your insurance check come through yet?”
She shook her head. “I need to make some calls and complain. Guess I’d better add that to my list.”
“Along with get an annulment.”
She grinned. “Yup.” She didn’t add the third thing to the growing list.
Get the sheriff to kiss her again.
* * * * *
Cecily hardly wanted to get out of bed. After the long night of tossing and turning, her mind flipping from the break-in and all she’d lost—again—to the way Judd had kissed her, she was exhausted. Not to mention the late carb load at the Italian place and she was really sluggish.
So, when she heard the pounding on her door, she could barely drag her butt up from the mattress to go downstairs and see who it was. She half expected to see Judd standing there, probably looking dashing and wide awake as only a man could after a long day. But she opened the door to see a man sporting worn jeans, a toolbelt and a broad smile.
“You must be Cecily Baker.”
She tried to smooth her hair, knowing it must be sticking up in a riot of frizzy curls. She really needed to get her life together and wake up sooner. She had appearances to keep up. Who wanted to trust a stylist who had witch hair?
The people of Bracken would start thinking of her as a lazy bum, waking late and wearing pajamas at all hours. At least these were normal sweats and not cartoon characters.
She nodded. Damn, she hadn’t even brushed her teeth. She stepped back, hoping her morning breath wasn’t evident. “Who are you?”
He chuckled, not at all offended by her bold question. “Sam Brown. I help Judd with some of his rental houses, and he sent me over to see about your door. I guess it hasn’t been delivered yet.” He looked around.
Rental houses? A new door being delivered?
She shook her head.
Before she could think of what to say to him, someone appeared behind him holding a big box wrapped in brown paper. Sam Brown moved aside to allow the man to give Cecily the package.
“What’s this?” she asked. She couldn’t remember ordering any new supplies for her store, but with everything going on, maybe she had forgotten. She looked at the surface of the box, but there was no address. It was blank.
She glanced up at the delivery man. “From the sheriff. Says to open it by this afternoon.”
She straightened. The weight of the box in her hand gave her a funny feeling low in her belly. What could be inside? And why hadn’t Judd delivered it himself?
Unsure of the kindnesses he was showering on her, she thanked the man and set the box on the desk. Again, she had no cash on hand to tip him, but he left without seeming put out. It wouldn’t surprise her if Judd hadn’t already taken care of the tip.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll go down the street and have some coffee and one of those big cinnamon rolls the coffee shop bakes. By the time I’m finished, that door should be here.”
She had nothing to say, except, “Thank you.”
The contractor left, and she closed the door, her mind wheeling. Yesterday, she’d cancelled her appointments for the rest of the week, unable to face small talk and putting on cheery airs for her clients. Not to mention she didn’t have any supplies to work with.
She turned to the box, heart hammering. Images from last night zoomed through her mind—Judd’s expression right before he kissed her the first time. The hunger in his eyes when he drew away. She’d felt how hard he was for her, his erection bulging into her lower belly. She’d replayed that kiss half the night. The other half, she’d replayed the other kiss—the one where he pinned her against the wall and plunged his tongue into her mouth until she couldn’t remember her own name.
She swallowed hard. Ignoring the twinges of need between her thighs at the memories, she slit the paper on one end of the box. Unwrapping it slowly, letting the moment build. She didn’t receive many gifts in her life, and she had no clue what this could be. Heck, if it was a bottle of shampoo and conditioner to open shop with again, it would bring her to tears.
When she lifted the white lid of the box, her breath caught. Nestled among white tissue paper was a red dress. Strapless with a V neckline. She reached into the box and pulled it out. Holding it up to find it would hit her about mid-knee.
“What the hell?” she whispered. Warmth slipped into her core, and confusion ruled her mind. What was she supposed to think of a gift like this? He’d sent her a dress? She looked back into the box.
And shoes.
Not only high heels with slender straps that would accentuate one of her slimmest parts—her ankles—but a tiny cloth bag that held earrings and a bracelet.
She dropped it all back into the box and took two steps back. Lord, what was she going to do? The sheriff was offering her something she had no idea how to take. She didn’t even know why he’d sent her such a gift.
She rummaged around the box again and came out with a card inside an envelope. It had the name of the steakhouse down the street and a time written on it.
He was requesting her presence for a date, and providing her with the outfit in case she didn’t have one.
Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears. What did she say to this unusual and high-handed request? The instant the sheriff pinned her against the wall, she knew he liked to be in control, but this was going a bit far.
Wasn’t it?
She couldn’t deny she liked the attention, and handing over the control to a man with Judd’s confidence…
Plus, the dress was beautiful.
When did he have time to go purchase these things for her on top of doing his job? She couldn’t puzzle out how he knew her sizes either.
In addition, he had a door being delivered along with a handyman to hang it?
Cecily stared at the box for another minute and then replaced the lid. She needed time to think. With all that was going on in her life, being behind on her master plan for her business plus needing to figure out the whole husband situation, how was she supposed to get dolled up and go on a date with the sheriff?
When she glanced at the dress again, a brand-new warmth flowed through her. She couldn’t deny this gesture appealed to her female sensibilities. It was something straight out of a romance movie.
But she lived in reality.
Damn, did she want to don that beautiful red dress and the accessories and look beautiful for Judd. The idea of pleasing him excited her as much as escaping from life for a few hours. She could use a dose of fairy tale and an injection of fun.
Ending the evening pinned to the wall in a pretty dress would be the icing on the hunky beefcake.
* * * * *
What the hell had Judd been thinking? He’d kissed her, which was bad enough. Then he’d barely slept, rolled out of bed with morning wood big enough to use as a support beam, and after a few calls, had his plans in place.
Cecily’s place fixed up to open for business and a dinner date with her in a slinky red dress, thanks to a saleslady who’d had her nails done by Cecily a few days back and guessed at her dress size. The shoes Judd knew.
He was putting himself on the line big time. If Aiden or West learned about what he’d done, they’d call him a fucking idiot. They’d remind him that he’d gone all-out with Cassie and look what had happened.
At least she hadn’t gotten the dog, he reminded himself.
Echo had nudged him awake at dawn, demanding a walk. He’d done better than that by taking him for a jog. Three miles before the sun fully rose hadn’t slaked the energy pounding through his system, though. He needed more of a release.
Finding his grip on control was a must. He may be taking Cecily for dinner tonight, but that didn’t mean he could have sex with her… or show her the parts of himself that needed to remain buried.
Hell, he was so bombarded with calls for the sheriff that he may not even get out to take her on their date.
Was she even willing? Some women wouldn’t appreciate being told what to wear and where to go. He hoped Cecily was different, though. Fucking hell, did he want her to be different.
When he’d flip-flopped from not wanting a woman in his world at all to angling for a certain little day spa owner, he had no idea. But it was there, leaping to life like a fire barely smothered.
He spent a long time on the phone with Aiden about their case the previous day. He slogged through piles of paperwork. Skipped lunch to go out on a few other calls. So he had the evening open and a brick of worry in his chest.
He got ready slowly, with Echo watching his every move. The dog gave him the side-eye, knowing he’d be left behind, as Judd showered and dressed in black pants and a button-down shirt. He added a bolo instead of a tie and plucked up his best black hat from the coat rack by the door.
“Be a good boy,” he said to Echo.
The dog gave a mournful answer.
“I’ll bring you some steak bones. Don’t chew my boots while I’m gone.”
Echo responded with another low whine.
When Judd got to Cecily’s, he’d built up and torn down their night together a dozen times. She might be excited to see him, and they’d have a great time. He’d kiss her again and things would go further.
Or she’d slam the door in his face and ask what the hell he’d been thinking, directing her life in such a way?
Drawing a deep breath, he went to the brand-new front door. It was white steel with a triple-paned security window and unbreakable glass. He could picture Cecily painting it the same robin’s egg blue color she’d spruced up the front of the building with.
Damn, did it make him feel good to do this for her.
Pulse throbbing in his ears, he knocked and waited.
Fucking hell, could he be any more screwed up in the head?
He liked Cecily. Wanted to know her better. But worse, he wanted to take care of her, buy her pretty things and show her how special she was. How special she could be to him.
He was opening himself up to a world of hurt.
A face appeared in the door window. A flash of a green eye and curls.
Here we go.
When she opened the door, she was wearing the red dress.
His breath stopped half in, half out of his lungs. Heat slammed him in the chest and spread down to his groin.
The floaty confection swirled around her knees and invited him to touch her curvy thighs—and more. The neckline plunged just low enough to invite dirty thoughts of his tongue licking up and down that crease between her breasts, tasting her silky-smooth skin. Her curls were half up to show off her earlobes with the dangling, sparkly earrings he’d sent over.
She smiled, a nervous stretching of her red lips over white teeth. “You’re late.”
“I’m sorry.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek, feeling like a damn schoolboy picking up his prom date. He was old enough to get through this without stumbling over himself, but was he controlled enough to keep his hands off her long enough to have dinner?
Strip her now.
He drew back enough to keep from kissing her the way he really wanted to, but her spicy perfume still filled his senses. Dazzled, dazed and drugged with lust, he put a hand on the small of her back and led her outside.
She took a minute to lock up her new door using an electronic key pad. When she finished punching in the code, she looked up at him, cheeks flushed. “Thank you so much for the door. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. And for the dress and things.” She waved a hand down to her feet where the black heels strapped across her high insteps.
His gut clenched. Okay, if he was to go on with the evening, he needed to admit something to himself.
He didn’t just want her.
He wanted her.
This date wasn’t about making her forget her worries since moving here or even to get under her skirt, though he wanted that bad enough.
“I’m not asking for repayment. And we need to get one thing straight between us before we go.” He looked down into her eyes.
She nibbled her lower lip. “What’s that?”
“You don’t owe me anything. Just because I sent you this… doesn’t mean you need to go out with me.”
She nudged him. “Well, I know that, silly. But I’m looking forward to that steak you promised me.”
He snorted. “You don’t even eat steak.”
“Then why are you taking me to a steakhouse?”
“Because they have a damn good vegetarian menu and it’s the nicest place in town.” The corners of his eyes crinkled though he didn’t give her a smile. Yet. He had one more thing to say.
I don’t want you to feel obligated to give me anything in return tonight. Okay, Cecily?”
She blinked. Flushed deeper. “You mean like sex?”
The word dropped between them like a boulder neither could ignore. He nodded.
“Let me put this out there, Sheriff. I don’t for a minute believe I have to put out because you bought me a pretty dress and plan to take me for dinner. You’re an honorable man, I sensed that from the start. But I will be paying you back for the door. That lock alone must have cost hundreds.”
He’d never tell. “If you’re ready…” He led her down the sidewalk. She walked next to him, heels clacking on the pavement, drawing glances from pedestrians out for the same reason they were. It felt good to be with a beautiful woman, one who wasn’t pretending.
At least she didn’t seem to be.
He shook away the grim thoughts. His gut instinct told him Cecily was all she showed the world with a side of apple pie. But Cassie—
She’s not Cassie.
“Howdy, Sheriff.” The passerby tipped his hat in greeting.
Judd gave a nod and a “Hello.”
The man openly eyed Cecily. By the time they reached the end of the street and the steakhouse, word would have traveled up and down Bracken that Judd was taking out the new day spa owner. There’d already been talk after the previous dinner.
After they passed the man, Cecily drifted closer, her shoulder bumping his arm. “His eyes were ready to pop out seeing us together,” she said quietly.
“No doubt word will spread. I don’t care, do you?”
“No. I was thinking it kind of looks good, doesn’t it?” She waited expectantly.
He stared down at her in confusion. She looked fantastic, and he cleaned up pretty well when he tried. Together, he had to admit, they fit. Their reflection as they passed the shop windows told him as much.
But he didn’t think that was her meaning.
“If someone in town is the one responsible for breaking into my shop, they’ll know they haven’t broken me.”
He’d seen the steel fibers within her, how she picked up the remnants and moved on, made the most of it. Nobody could break her, at least in his thinking.
“Good point, and you’re right.” He gripped her elbow and steered her toward the entrance of the restaurant. Huge logs flanked the door with a carved sign arching between them.
“This looks so picturesque, just like the type of place you’d come after a tiring day of skiing,” she commented as they entered.
“Wouldn’t know about the tiring day of skiing. I don’t ski. But they grill a fine steak.”
As soon as the hostess spotted them, she smiled and waved them to the table he had waiting. Once he’d seated Cecily and faced her across the burning candle, goblets of water and menus, he wondered what the hell had changed his mind about his no women rule.
It sure as hell wasn’t his momma’s talk the other day. Or Aiden’s nagging practically each time they spoke on the phone. Putting himself out there was a risk all its own, and the fact he was investigating a crime in her place of business meant he was crossing lines.
Looking at her beautiful oval face and the way the red dress made her skin glow, though… He almost didn’t even care that she technically had another man’s last name.
“Everything on the menu looks great.” She scanned the entrees. “I hardly know what to choose.”
“Will you let me?”
Her gaze flew to his. “Order for me?”
Dammit, he shouldn’t have asked. It was a control thing, taking care of her in all ways. And something he definitely should not do. Cassie had claimed to enjoy it, yet in the end, she’d—
He put the brakes on that train of thought and looked at Cecily. “I mean, I don’t have to. You know what you like.”
She pushed a tendril of hair over her shoulder, the action making her earring sway. “I’ve never had anyone order for me before. Actually, I’ve never had anybody buy me an outfit either. How did you know my sizes?”
“Emerald Davies knows a size as soon as she looks at a person, or at least that’s what she told me.”
“Oh yes, Emerald. Sweet woman. I hear she has great nails now too.” She grinned at him and sat back. “Now about dinner. Once I read about this man who walked into a restaurant and told the waitress to have the chef choose his meal for him.”
Judd cocked a brow. “And how did it turn out?”
“He got the most memorable, delicious meal ever.” She closed her menu and sat back. “I leave it in your hands.”
Satisfaction blossomed inside him, warming him all over. From the start he’d known something about Cecily called to him, and he hadn’t been wrong. She liked what he had to offer.
But Cassie had too—at first.
He wished to hell he could stop thinking about his ex. He was over her—he just had trust issues. He scanned the menu and when the waitress appeared to take their order, Cecily riveted her gaze on him while he ordered her beer-brushed tofu skewers with barley and a house salad.
She smiled at him. He ordered his own food and was thankful when the waitress left them alone again. This night was giving him so many highs and lows he was getting whiplash.
“Sounds delicious. Thank you,” she said.
He searched her sparkling eyes and felt his lips tug upward. “You can thank me if you like it.”
“I will. Now, there’s something important I have to ask you.” She fiddled with her water glass, spinning it in small degrees.
Worry settled in him, but he didn’t let his face reveal that. He was a master of his emotions—it came with the job description.
“I spent some time this afternoon making calls to Nevada about my dilemma. Basically, I can petition for an annulment if both parties agree.”
Relief was a balm in his chest. “That’s good.”
“It is, if I didn’t have another problem.”
“Which is?”
“I can’t find Cole Brady.”
He arched a brow. “Sure it’s not Braden?”
She reached over and smacked him in the forearm. “Now you’re messing with me. I wondered if a guy like the sheriff might be able to steer me toward an address?”
“Hmm, seems the sheriff may have connections along those lines.”
“So you’ll help me? I can’t believe the situation I’ve landed in, and now I have this to take care of on top of the trouble at my spa.”
“I’ll have an address to you tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Time passed quickly and soon big sizzling platters were placed before them. As he watched her take the first mouthful, his cock hardened at seeing her savor the bite. Oh yeah, he wanted to pleasure her in every damn way that was humanly possible.
But he didn’t think swiping the table clean and ravishing her on the surface was appropriate.
Least he could do was let her finish her meal.
* * * * *
After watching Judd chew his food, Cecily was way more hot and bothered than a girl should be in public. Her panties were damp and she felt the need to fan herself. The man was walking sex in a Stetson, and her body was taking it allllll in.
Every time she looked up, he was studying her. And the lazy way he looked at her had her perched on the edge of her seat. She barely resisted the urge to grind her pussy on the corner of the wood.
Once he paid the bill, he led her outside. Twilight had fallen, and several of the shops were lit with twinkle lights, creating a magical atmosphere. She walked along slowly, getting to know this side of Bracken.
“When does the ski season hit? I need to get my shop on its feet by then.” She glanced at Judd’s profile, his square jaw and Grecian nose making her fingers twitch with the urge to touch him.
“Skiers start filling up the lodges as soon as the first flurry hits here. In the mountains, it’s good powder at that time. I’m sorry about the crimes, Cecily. I wish the evidence we’d collected had more substantial answers.”
“Not your fault.”
“I’ve got several eyes on the case, including my brother and cousin who work in the law. They’ve got their ears to the ground. It might not make you feel at ease, but often small crimes like this end in confessions when someone is sitting around a bonfire or they leak it to a friend at the bar. Once we get that lead, we are on our way to solving the case.”
“I’m frustrated that we can’t just go arrest someone, but I understand.” She slowed as they passed the coffee shop window and she spotted her very first client at the Drift Away Massage and Spa. She waved to the woman and pointed to her hair. Cecily gave a thumb’s up and the woman grinned.
She and Judd continued to the front of her own shop. She stood back and looked at her spa, sadness hitting her.
“Cecily.”
She tucked in the corner of her mouth. “It’s not where I wanted to be, you know? I wanted to have a steady clientele and some buzz in the streets of Bracken about my spa services.”
“If it helps, I told everyone at the station about the massage.”
Her brows leaped to her hairline. “You did?”
“Yes, Birdie mentioned I looked less stiff and stressed and when I told her why, my deputies thought it was a good idea.”
“For you to have regular massages?” A thrill hit Cecily’s belly at the thought of putting her hands on this hunky sheriff again.
“Yeah.” His stare intensified. She shifted on her dainty high heels. Under his gaze, she grew aware of desires piling up inside her until they seemed as tall of one of the mountains in the nearby range.
“Do you want to—”
He cut her off with a shake of his head. “I can’t come inside, Cecily.”
If he left, who knew how long it would be before she saw him again. Last time he’d all but run from her spa and she hadn’t heard from him for days.
She had a choice to make. Judd was interested in her, no question. And she’d sat through dinner wanting to get up and straddle him in his seat and make him forget about the steak he claimed melted in his mouth.
She cocked her head and gave him a deep, probing look she hoped got the point across. “Yes, you can come in, Judd.”
A low noise vibrated from him. “Dammit. Put in your passcode and open that door.”
She whirled to tap in the numbers. His body heat scorched over her spine as he leaned close to breathe into her ear. She caught movement of somebody walking by on the street, but need made her fumble the door open. In a blink, he had it closed and her pressed against it, arms pinned overhead.
He slammed his mouth over hers, tongue warm and tasting of the craft beer he’d had for dinner. A moan escaped her, and he answered with one of his own.
“You don’t owe me,” he murmured between nibbling kisses.
“You owe me, far as I see it.”
He stilled the small path of kisses he was pressing along her lower lip. “How’s that?”
“You’ve been driving me crazy all night, looking at me the way you do. Are you gonna live up to those looks, Sheriff?”
“Fuck yeah.” He reached under her skirt and wrapped his long fingers around her inner thigh. She gasped and her knees threatened to buckle as he inched his caress upward, higher and higher, all the way to the apex of her thighs. When he cupped her pussy through the thin cloth of her panties, he issued a growl.
“You’re wet for me.”
“You’ve been undressing me with your eyes all evening. What do you ex—” Her words cut off in a gasp as he eased his fingertip over her swollen clit.
“I knew you’d be responsive like this. Fuck, baby doll. Spread your legs for me.”
His dirty talk sent a spike of need to her core, and she wantonly set her heels farther apart on the floor. He ran his finger up and down her seam. What must he be feeling? Wet panties, for sure. Puffy outer lips nestled around her hard clit. She rocked forward into his touch.
He bent to kiss her throat, biting a sweeping path that ended behind her earlobe. He dragged his teeth over the soft flesh and bathed the nibble with his tongue. She cooed as he kept her pinioned with one hand high on the door. Her back was to the window, and hopefully it was dark enough that nobody could tell what was going on.
Judd didn’t seem to be letting up until her sanity was a thing of the past. He dipped his finger under the edge of her panties. When his callused finger met her slick heat, they shared a rumble of desire. He jammed his thigh between hers and set to work on driving her crazy.
She pulsated, ribbons of heat wrapping around her. When Judd claimed her mouth, she sucked on his tongue and pulled low groans from him in return. Lust sent her shooting higher and higher.
“Come for me, baby doll. I can feel you want it. Come all over my fingers.”
“Oh God, yes, sir!” Shudders stole over her. She trembled in his hold as he ground her clit into her body. She couldn’t hold back, didn’t even want to try. She threw her head back, arching off the door and into his arms as her orgasm swept her, her cry harsh in the stillness of her spa.
* * * * *
Fuck, he wasn’t going to survive this encounter. She was a sub, born or trained, he had no clue, but one thing was certain--he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. She was so primed for him, ready for his touch. And eager. Hell, was she eager.
Her hard pearl pulsed under his fingertip, and he ached to bury himself deep in her pussy—now.
He brought her down slowly, watching the ecstasy rush over her beautiful face. With one last swirl of his fingertip through her wet folds, he released his hold on her hands. She slipped her arms around his neck.
The action did unspeakable things to his insides.
“Will you come upstairs?” she rasped.
He pegged her in his stare. Her lips were damp, her eyes hazy with pleasure he still felt in the tremors racking her body. “You sure?”
“Yes. Please, Judd.”
He opened his mouth to correct her with Please, Sir but snapped his jaw shut again. He couldn’t let that side of his nature come out. He dropped his forehead and considered what he was about to do.
Then he scooped her up in his arms and ran the stairs with her. She cupped his face and kissed him the entire way. He lost count of the steps, but at her door, he paused to let her unlock it.
He could have just kicked it in—had considered it. But he didn’t want her stressing about paying for another door, so he was patient. In the back of his mind, he registered how flimsy the locks were. Next time he visited, he’d bring a few chain latches and a deadbolt.
Her place was small and still cluttered with boxes. One corner of the living room in front of the windows had a patterned mat on the floor and some candles lined up around it where she must meditate or something.
“I want you, Judd,” she murmured against his lips.
Need jerked his cock—and him with it. He didn’t recall taking the few steps that led to her bedroom or crossing the room until his ankles came up against something soft. He looked down to see a mattress on the floor, spread with more patterned quilts and fluffy pillows.
“We need to get your bed set up.”
“This is my bed.” She giggled. “Now are you gonna lay me down on it or keep insulting my stuff?”
“Well at least we can’t break the headboard.”
She giggled. “Maybe I’m up for that.”
He growled against her throat and hit his knees, the mattress cushioning him. She rested back on the pillows, and he followed her down, down, down. The feel of her soft hips cradling his cock made him grind his teeth, but he held on to his control.
Barely.
When she wrapped her thighs around him, he paused to search her eyes. “You sure you want this?”
With her heels on his ass, she dragged him against her. “I wouldn’t have invited you in if I didn’t.”
“Damn, baby doll. You’re so fucking beautiful and this dress… I just want to tear it off you.”
“Do as you like. Zipper’s on the back.” She arched upward so he could slide his hands beneath her.
Head swirling with the control, he peeled the dress straps off her shoulders and slid away the cloth until he bared her to the waist.
He let out a puff of air. “You’re not wearing a bra.”
“Something told me you wouldn’t want me to.”
Born or trained? Had somebody had her before him?
Didn’t matter—he couldn’t go there. He wasn’t into kink anymore.
He stared at her breasts, and her nipples hardened under his gaze. The pink tips stuck upward, begging for one hell of a night.
“Fuck.” He dipped his head and took her nipple in his mouth.
A guttural moan left her. She wrapped her hand around his nape, guiding him as he drew on her hard bud. “Oh God,” she whimpered. “You’re so damn good at that. Do sheriffs take some class on driving their women wild?”
He groaned. “I can smell your desire for me. I have to fucking taste you.”
He pushed onto his knees and shimmied her dress south of her hips. Oh, he was going south all right. Working his way down her belly, leaving a trail of tender kisses. When he reached her panties, he cast a long look up her body to meet her gaze.
“You don’t have to, Judd. You can just—”
“Shhh.” He ran the point of his tongue back and forth over her inner thigh. Her eyes rolled back in her head. “I want this. Don’t you?”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “I want it.”
“Mmm. I need to look at you.” He discarded her dress. Then he caught the string that held her panties on her hip in his teeth. Damn, that filament of red silk was the only thing blocking him from taking what he wanted.
With a jerk of his head, he snapped the string. Her panties fluttered away from her mound, and Judd issued a primal growl.
Her breaths came in sharp pants as he snaked his tongue over her trimly-cut curls. “Mmm, I love seeing a woman natural.”
“You like the… hair?” Her breath hitched.
“Damn straight. Holds the flavors better.” He tugged aside the bit of panties left clinging to her other thigh and flattened his tongue over her pussy. She bowed off the mattress.
He slid his fingers up her inner thighs. The instant he touched her outer lips, she bit off a cry. Of course, he wasn’t done tormenting her. He spread her open and sank his tongue into her pussy like it was an ice cream cone on a scorching hot day.
Painting his tongue over her clit, swirling, dipping lower, teasing her entrance. Guttural moans escaped her lips, and he loved her lack of embarrassment for her enthusiasm.
“Oh my God.”
He toyed with her until her ass was off the mattress and her hips thrusting up to meet his tongue. He worked his fingers up to her mound and down the crease of her inner thighs, stroking every inch of her pussy.
“Judd. Holy shit,” she squeaked.
“I don’t plan to stop until you’re shaking apart for me.” He lightly scraped his jaw over her pussy opening. The stubble against her sensitive tissues made her gasp.
“I’m gonna—” She broke off as he suctioned his lips over her clit. She dug her nails into his shoulders and ground her body against his mouth, taking every bit he had to give.
When she collapsed to the mattress, juices ran down her inner thighs and she looked like a well-loved goddess.
“That was so fucking hot, baby doll.”
“I’ve never…”
“Come that hard before?” He gave her a lazy smile.
She dragged him upward, but he paused at her breasts to suck and nibble her into a brand-new frenzy. “I want to undress you,” she whispered.
His eyelids grew heavy as he stared at her. “How bad do you want it?”
She shivered at his words. When she didn’t reply fast enough, he ducked his head and lightly bit the top of her breast. She moaned at the harsh caress, and he sucked her skin into his mouth as she scraped her nails across his shoulders.
He lifted his head and gazed down at the red mark, far more satisfied than he should be. “You need one to match on the other side.”
She grabbed him by the shoulders and used her thighs around his waist to draw him upward. Cupping his square jaw, she whispered, “I can’t wait anymore.”
Judd’s gut instinct was to demand she wait, to see her squirm with need.
To make her beg.
Fuck, she looked so beautiful, eyes glittering with desire, her nipples taut, practically demanding he take her.
Only one of us makes demands in this bed.
Hell, it’s not even a bed. It’s like a hippy college apartment.
The urge to run down the street to the local furniture shop and have a bed delivered next echoed somewhere in the back of his mind. But he would not, could not, be so highhanded. She’d taken the dress and date well enough, and had argued about the door for her shop, but she probably wouldn’t allow much more from him.
It was part of his makeup, the need to pamper and spoil. He’d even called her baby doll, an endearment that fit her so fucking well. She was a walking little doll he wanted to take care of.
His ex had taken advantage of this part of him, and he’d promised never to let that happen again. And here was a woman who roused all those old needs.
He rocked back onto his knees and reached for his bolo. He removed it and set it aside before going for his buttons. She watched him work each free. He was fit and wasn’t worried about appearance. What he worried about was showing her his insides, the parts he battled to keep hidden.
When he pulled his shirt off, Cecily ran her tongue over her lower lip. The plump skin gleamed with wetness. Fuck, now he couldn’t get the image of his pre-cum smeared across her pretty lips out of his head.
He had condoms in his pocket and slipped one out. He kept it discreetly in his palm, not wanting her to think he’d expected sex tonight. He hadn’t. But he had hoped like hell they’d end up here.
Probably good she didn’t have a headboard to tie her to.
“I want to touch you.”
He bit back a reply of ask me nicely and said, “Then touch me.”
She raised her hands, letting them hover a fraction over his chest. His heartbeat quickened as he waited to see what she would do, what she wanted.
This was how it should be between a man and woman—he’d gone wrong with his ex by taking over in the bedroom. But he wouldn’t make the same mistake with Cecily, even if it was a one-time encounter.
When she touched him, palms to pecs, he sucked in a breath. Her warm hands could steer a man straight to hell. By the time he was finished here tonight, he’d be praying for forgiveness.
She skated her gaze over him as she explored his chest down to his abs. He wasn’t as cut as he once had been when he worked on the ranch daily, but he hadn’t gone to flab yet either.
“I love a man with hair,” she said softly, rubbing back and forth over the patch on the center of his chest.
“What else do you like, baby doll?” His cock couldn’t get any harder. It was jammed against his fly, cramped and aching.
A smile tipped the corner of her lips. “I liked that thing you did with your tongue.”
“Mmm.”
“And that bite on my inner thigh.”
He stilled.
“And these.” She pointed to the matching marks on her breasts.
Fuck, all the roughness. She liked how rough he’d been with her. His head swam. For a tooth-grinding moment, he didn’t think he could speak, move or even breathe. He was too afraid of handcuffing her and using his palm on her round ass.
“Did you… like giving them to me?” Her whisper was too hot, so fucking arousing.
He managed a jerky nod and kicked at his boots to remove them. They didn’t have far to fall off the eight inches of mattress separating him from the floor. His pants didn’t take two seconds to take off. But he paused at shucking his boxers. This was where his real control came into play.
Did he have enough of what he needed to keep from frightening her?
“Dayummm, you look good to me, cowboy. Will you come here and let me feel you against me?” She was good at using those strong thighs of hers to pull him down. She yanked him in so his cock shoved against her pussy. The bit of cotton separating them didn’t leave a thing to the imagination. Her liquid heat enveloped him.
He couldn’t take another minute of this torture.
He shoved off his boxers and ripped open the condom. If she was surprised he had one in hand, she didn’t let on. She only stared up at him with those big green eyes and plump lips beckoning him for a kiss.
He claimed her mouth at the same minute he drove deep into her pussy. She reared up to meet him, and he felt himself bottom out. Fucking scorching liquid fire.
He moved, and she moaned.
“Don’t hold back, Judd. Please. I need you.”
Dizzy with power, he braced himself on his elbows and jerked his hips. She cried out. He withdrew with exquisite, insane slowness. He wanted it to last—needed to find that sweet spot between being in control and letting himself go.
She kissed him back, tongue dancing across his. His cock head throbbed, his balls clenched tight to his body. He angled his head and nipped at her lips until she was writhing underneath him.
Then he plunged his tongue into her mouth and his cock into her pussy at the same time. She started to tremble. Hell, she was coming. Squeezing him with her inner walls, trying to wring the cum up from his balls.
Hell, five strokes in and he was exploding. Bursting, control fled as he pounded into her. He sank his teeth into her lower lip, aware he could not hurt her, could not break skin.
She cried out around his assault, but his mind didn’t register pain from her. No, this was pure ecstasy.
When the last spurt left him, so did his energy. He collapsed to the side so he didn’t crush her but brought her up to cover his body. Plastered to him, her dark curls trailing over his skin. She made his chest into a pillow as she regained her breath.
Stroking her spine in long, slow sweeps of his hand, he tried to make sense of what had just happened to him.
She’d stolen his control, something that never happened. Not even with his ex-wife. He could lie to himself and say he hadn’t had sex in too long and was pent-up, but he didn’t hide behind illusions. He knew his shortcomings—that he was hot-tempered at times and he didn’t always put his socks in the hamper right away.
No, he couldn’t fake out his own mind with ideas that Cecily hadn’t just given him the most powerful orgasm he’d had in years.
* * * * *
Cecily listened to Judd’s heartbeat slow and his breathing grow more even. She lay draped over him like a satisfied cat in the sunshine and couldn’t find the energy to move. He continued rubbing her back, now in smaller circles that had her toes curling with pleasure into the sheets.
“Interesting aesthetic you have going on here.” His voice vibrated beneath her ear. “What do you call it? Hippy chic?”
She giggled. “Nobody calls it hippy. It’s boho.”
She looked at the room within her scope of vision. Boxes still piled in the corner, an aqua blue curtain thumb-tacked to the window for privacy. A 1940s dressing table, the finish long ago worn away, covered over with white paint and little gold polka dots stamped across the front of it. She’d unpacked her makeup and body lotions, and those were lined up neatly on the surface. In one corner, she had an old metal coat rack serving as her closet.
“I put the money into the massage table instead of my bed frame. Seems like a good trade.”
“You’re comfortable on the floor like this?” He shifted under her as if he wasn’t.
“Never gave it a thought. I work until I’m exhausted, and by then I could fall down on the floor and sleep soundly.”
“So I’ve guessed. This isn’t much better than the floor, Cecily.”
“Then next time we’ll go to your place.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
What if he didn’t want a second round? She thought he’d enjoyed himself, but…
“Damn right. I’ll show you the finer points of spending the night in a real bed with box springs.”
She relaxed against his chest again. So he did want to see her again. Whatever was brewing between them had been coming since day one. She was in tune with her feelings and the vibes he’d sent her hadn’t been missed. But at times it was easy to second-guess herself.
Judd had seen many sides of her already. He’d witnessed the shock of her having her place broken into. Seen her in tears and even looked closely at the fear on her face.
He’d seen her coming apart for him.
Her inner muscles gripped at the thought of having him inside her again. Was it too soon to press for more?
She dropped a kiss to his chest. Then another. Spattering them across his skin and up to his jaw. He grabbed the back of her head and yanked her mouth to his, a hard kiss that set her juices flowing all over again.
“Hope you’ve got another condom.”
“I’m the goddamn sheriff. Of course I’m prepared.”
Rolling her into the mattress and trapping her hands overhead, he bent to ravish her breasts.
Oh yeah, her sixth sense hadn’t been off. Even if she hadn’t felt the bulge against her thigh, she’d know Judd wanted her.
Chapter Six
“Um, can I speak with Sheriff Roshannon?” Cecily’s voice wasn’t exactly steady when she approached the front desk of the sheriff’s office. The woman he called Birdie sat looking at her with gimlet eyes like the species she was nicknamed for.
The woman bobbed her head. “Sheriff’s in his office. Go on back.”
Cecily stood there another heartbeat, wondering if she’d heard right. Did everyone get an audience with the sheriff of Bracken just by walking through the front door or was she receiving special treatment?
It was no secret Judd had taken her out on a date the other night. Why, she’d had four different clients ask her about it. In a small town, word traveled.
She stepped toward the closed door with Judd’s name on it. When she knocked, her chest was tight with anticipation.
She hadn’t seen him since their encounter the other night, but he’d texted her every day since. Little things, asking if she was okay, if her shop was all right. Said he was caught up in a case and couldn’t get away but he’d see her soon.
Much more than she’d expect after one night together. She knew he was just being nice—Judd was a good guy and obviously had a momma who’d raised him right—but her female mind was like a balloon with helium, lifting off the solid ground at the first sweet croon of his voice.
“Yeah?” Judd’s voice projected through the door, rough and almost distracted.
She shot a look back at Birdie, who was staring at her, a smile on her face.
Taking a deep breath, Cecily opened the door and peeked in. Judd looked up, a crease between his brows, his hair mussed as if he’d been raking his fingers through it. His desk was a wreck of papers.
His face blanked and his eyes cleared. He got up. “Cecily.”
“Hi. I’m distracting you from your work.”
He came around his desk, shaking his head. “I’m happy to stop for a spell. What’s brought you here? Are you okay? Everything all right at the shop?”
“Yes, all good.” She saw the concern in the lines around his eyes and felt bad for worrying him.
He reached for her, and her heart leaped. She hadn’t known what to expect in coming here—if he’d treat her in a professional manner or give her the same hungry look he had when they were alone.
She slipped her arms around his neck and inhaled his outdoorsy scent. He brought her up against his body and held her there for a second. When she withdrew, she smiled.
Damn if the creases around his eyes didn’t extend as he smiled back.
“You should smile more often, Sheriff. Suits you.”
“I might if I saw less paperwork and more of you.”
Her stomach tingled with warmth. “Well, I have a favor to ask.” She hated doing it, but what else could she do?
“Sure, what is it?”
“You can feel free to say no. You’re a busy man, and my problems—”
“Cecily.” He gripped her upper arms.
“You’ve done so much already. You found me the address for Cole.”
“This has to do with Braden?”
“Brady.” She smacked his shoulder.
His grin widened. “What’s going on?”
“He’s agreed to meet me, but he doesn’t want me to come to his house. He wants to meet in the next town over.”
Judd’s smile fell from his face. “Sounds suspicious.”
“A little like he doesn’t want to be seen with me is my guess.”
He nodded.
She waved a hand. “It’s fine. But my problem is I can’t get to the town. My car’s acting up, sputtering. I’m afraid to drive it and it seems Bracken doesn’t have a rental car place.”
“I’ll take you,” he said at once.
“Are you sure? I was just going to see if one of your deputies—”
He firmed his jaw. “I’ll take you.” He let her go and grabbed his hat off the desk, jamming it atop his head. “I’ll tell Birdie and we’ll be on our way.”
Cecily followed him from the office, admiring his strong back and the way his jeans fit his carved ass to perfection. Now that she knew what was under those clothes, she saw the sheriff in a brand-new light—as a walking gift to womankind. Not only could the man fill out a pair of Wranglers but he ate pussy like it was paying his bills. And he was kind enough to take a woman to meet the husband she hadn’t known about so she could get the annulment papers signed.
Judd stood at the exit and held out his arm, waiting for Cecily. Birdie gave her a wide smile as they left.
“She thinks we’re a couple,” she said to him.
He grunted. “She’s interfering on the best of days. Plus, people are talkin’.”
She shot him a look, unable to gauge his feelings on the subject. He threw her an amused quirk of his lips.
“Now, Cecily, you don’t have to ride in the back of my vehicle this time.”
She flushed hotly and batted at him. “You’re terrible for bringing that up. I thought I was being arrested.”
He dropped a kiss to her temple as he opened the passenger’s door and put her inside. When she glanced back at the building, she swore she saw the blinds separated in the front window near Birdie’s desk, like the woman was spying on them.
Being in Judd’s SUV made Cecily feel jittery. Or maybe that was the big man sliding behind the wheel. They were alone, and they’d had sex. Not just sex—great sex.
He twisted the key in the ignition, his gaze locking her to the seat. “Seatbelt.”
Now she felt like a complete imbecile. She gulped down her embarrassment and fastened her seatbelt.
“You seem a bit nervous, Cecily.”
“I… Yes, a bit.” No point in pretending. She was a grown woman who could face the man who’d given her what—six orgasms in one night?
He reached across the console and rested a hand on her knee, his eyes warm. “Don’t be nervous.”
His hand lay on her leg, a warm weight anchoring her to the seat. Okay, melting her. She felt like taffy. Damn, did she want to be stretched by this man.
“What’s the location?”
She opened a screen on her phone and read the address. “You know the place?” She studied his profile. It was impossible not to be aroused just being in his presence.
He nodded. “Small mom-and-pop place off the highway. Bit off the beaten path but good pie.” He smiled, and her stomach somersaulted.
“Well, since you’re kind enough to drive me, I’ll treat you to some pie.”
Her words fell between them, locked and loaded.
Heat broiled her face, and he laughed, giving her leg another squeeze, this time lighter with a caress of his thumb. Need shot up her leg, making a beeline for her pussy.
While getting ready this morning, she’d stared at the outfits on her bed. A pair of skinny jeans and a red sweater or a dress with a cardigan to keep her warm in the chill mountain air. Thoughts of Judd hiking up her skirt and fingering her the way he had on their date had made her put on the dress.
She could just let her knees fall apart, inviting his touch.
If they veered off the road and plummeted into the ravine, she’d be responsible for killing the sheriff. But she’d die happy.
“Maybe I’ll have more of that pie. Right after it’s a free, unmarried pie.”
“The papers still need to be filed in the courthouse.” Her voice was breathy.
His gaze heated her all over. “Yeah, legal enough for me. Hell, the fact you don’t know his last name works.”
She giggled. “I do know it.”
“You know it now.”
“Shut up.”
The ride was pretty, the road winding. Mountains seemed like huge walls of rock dropped by a giant’s hand amidst the lowlands dotted with cattle. “Where’s your family’s ranch?”
“An hour away.”
“Are you going there this weekend?” Was it selfish of her to want him to remain in Bracken, close at hand so she could maybe text and invite him over?
“Not this weekend. Though my momma’s texted twice asking me to Sunday dinner.”
“Why don’t you go?” she asked.
“Too much work to do.”
“You plan to spend Sunday at your desk?”
“No, I plan to spend it between your legs. In fact…” He pulled off the road onto a dirt lane.
Cecily braced herself in her seat as they bumped down toward a creek with low branches overhanging the road. Holy shit, he’d just said that, hadn’t he? She wasn’t imagining him telling her he was going to spend Sunday between her legs. And it wasn’t even Sunday and he was taking her off-roading.
Goosebumps broke over her, and she tingled in all the right places. She was sure glad she’d chosen the dress—squeezing her way out of skinny jeans when all she’d been eating was pizza for a week wasn’t at all the picture of sexiness she wanted to portray.
Judd put the SUV in park and got out. He circled the vehicle and opened her door. She turned to him slowly, heart thumping in an erratic rhythm as she slid into his arms.
He lifted her, hitched her thighs around his hips. The contact of denim against her bare legs excited the hell out of her.
“You know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”
“Ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He spoke in monosyllables, and his cock was hard steel against her. Her insides quivered at the thought of him sinking deep into her, fucking her—
He opened the back door and settled her on the seat. Then he nudged her thighs apart and occupied the space between them. She scooted closer to bring her aching pussy in contact with the hardness she most wanted. Hell, she’d dreamed of him the past two nights. Of his tongue in places she’d never felt before and him filling her up, stretching her.
She drew his head down and kissed him, letting him feel the need coiled tightly inside her. He groaned as she invaded his mouth with her tongue.
“Fuck, woman, you can’t know how bad I wanted to come over the last few days.”
A thrill hit her and it had more to do with emotions than lust. Yeah, she was falling for the sheriff and was probably being stupid, but she wasn’t able to stop the headlong tumble she was experiencing. It was too easy, like diving into a pond after a hot summer day.
He rocked his hips, grinding his cock into her body. She grabbed him and yanked him down. He lifted her off the seat and moved her fully inside the vehicle like a big cat dragging its prey.
His kisses turned carnal as she tore at his shirt. He had her dress up around her hips and was edging his fingers under her panties.
“Fuuuuck, you’re soaking for me, baby doll.”
In the office, she was Cecily. Now baby doll. And Judd was like a completely different man. Even his eyes changed from a warm glow to a dark glimmer that ignited her in all the right places.
He pressed her clit into her body, the pad of his thumb making her twitch and writhe.
“Take me, Judd. I’ve got condoms in my purse—”
“I got it. But I’m not ready yet. I plan to take my time with you.”
Nothing could instill more frustration and longing in her at the same time. She moaned and tried to haul his hips closer where she wanted them.
He strummed her nipple, making it harden within her bra. The tightness inside her had her throbbing, crazed. She plastered her hands to his rock-hard ass and shimmied her hips against him.
“Fuck, keep that up and you will find out how serious I am about taking my time.”
She was on the verge of begging. “Judd…” She scraped her teeth over his neck, and he growled in response.
But he wouldn’t be hurried. He reached into the low neck of her dress and pulled one breast out to suck. Then the other. Maddening twirls of his tongue that had her gasping. When he finally lifted his head and nailed her in that intense stare, she stopped breathing.
He threw a look toward the floor. Back to her. To the floor again.
She turned her head and from the corner of her eye caught sight of the rope coiled there. She pivoted her head back to stare into Judd’s eyes. “Go on. I know you want to.”
His Adam’s apple worked up his tanned throat and then down again. His eyes darkened further. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I know you want to tie me up. I see it in your eyes.”
“Fucking hell. You don’t know. You can’t.”
She leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Do it, Judd.”
In seconds she found herself naked on the seat, hands bound, legs thrown over Judd’s shoulders as he fucked her with hard whiplashes of his hips. His cock expanded her insides so right, and that burning need shot her higher and higher. She couldn’t think straight or guess where his mouth or fingers would land next. One minute he was sucking her nipple, the next biting into her shoulder. The next his fingers worked between their bodies, rubbing her clit into a hard knot of nerves.
She came the first time, mouth open on a silent scream as her body scorched with waves of heat. He didn’t let up, only lifted her thighs higher, getting the best, deepest angle, and thrusting into her until sweat stood out on his brow.
She wanted to hold on to him but the hemp around her wrists prevented her. She tugged at her bonds, more excited than she’d ever been. The small confines of the back seat was filled with sounds of their pleasure, grunts and the slick moves of his cock in her pussy.
“Judd. Oh my God. Right there.” She looked into his eyes, and seeing the glint of raw need there, came around him.
“That’s it, baby doll. Come all over my cock. Come on…” He bit off, teeth bared as she felt the heat of his release. He kissed her like a drowning man, tongue deep, seeking refuge. Or was that an apology?
She used her legs to wrap him close as he rode out his orgasm with her.
* * * * *
Fuck it, all, he’d lost his mind. Or he’d found it. Either way, it was flooded with the words of his ex—sickness, disgusting. You can’t treat women like that. You can’t give us pretty things and then demand we get on our knees for you and let you do these sick things to us.
Roughly, he pulled the loop on the rope tied around Cecily’s hands, freeing her. She flexed her wrists and he was satisfied she could move them well enough, but he couldn’t bear to look at her for long.
The truck door still hung open and he slid out till his boots touched the ground. He dealt with the condom, dropping it into an empty soda cup on the floor and pulled up his jeans.
He’d never wanted to treat her this way. Had done everything in his power to stop it.
Then she’d spotted that rope and egged him on. Fuck, the woman had no idea…
But she’d liked it.
No, fucking loved it.
She’d been wild underneath him, demanding he give it all to her. Just like the last time, when he’d shown his rougher side with the bite marks, she’d gotten that look in her eye that said—
No, it was his imagination, his dark leanings driving him to see what he wanted to see. Nice women, ones he knew around here, didn’t like the same things he did.
She sat up, looking disheveled and sexy as fuck. He groaned at the red marks lining the tops of her breasts and the beard burn on her throat. She was about to present her ex with annulment papers looking like a very ravished, very satisfied woman.
He adjusted himself and zipped his fly. “You all right?” He kept his voice pitched low. He’d scared her enough for one day.
She gave him a soft smile and scooted down the seat to put her arms around him. Pressing her cheek to his chest and holding him. His heart did a thousand stutters before he got a grip.
He dropped a tender kiss to her brow and pushed back. “Let’s go get your annulment.”