A hot breeze toyed with a strand of hair lying across her breast, but Sarah Michelson wasn’t about to flick it away now. She was already in deep shit and wondering whether she should pour on the syrup and sweet talk the two officers striding her way.

She’d been driving without her headlight, following the pale gray thread of road she’d driven since she’d graduated to adulthood, until she hit the winding canyon and had to flip it on. A quick drive-by of the bar, and she would have proven she was still Paraiso’s reigning bad girl.

Then she’d seen the glint of metal at the side of the road and throttled down.

Damn, who would have thought she’d run into a speed trap on little ole Amman Road?

“Ma’am, I’ll need to see your license and registration.”

Sarah squinted against the spotlight aimed at her from the squad car parked beside the sawhorse barrier and shot a glare at the deputy who’d halted beside her. That glare was signature “Sarah” and would have had most men backing up half a dozen paces. To his credit, Deputy Joe Chavez didn’t flinch, but neither did he crack a smile.

So, that was the way he wanted to play it. She could pretend there wasn’t a thing unusual about this particular traffic stop, too. “Officer, I seem to have misplaced it,” she said, dropping her voice to a sultry purr.

“Forgot a few other things as well,” the other deputy, Logan Ross, drawled, coming close enough she could make out his features in the bright light.

What were they—a tag team?

Two police cruisers, blue lights strobing, and a barricade with orange lights seemed overkill for a simple traffic stop. Of course, she’d probably given them fodder for sly jokes at the stationhouse for months with this stunt.

While she might pretend nonchalance, a hint of where this was going would do a lot to quell her rising anxiety. But so far, they were letting her sweat. Where Deputy Chavez’s face didn’t betray an ounce of humor, Ross’s lips were pressed together in a tight line as though he fought a smile.

Time to bait the trap.

“I was in a hurry when I left the house,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder just to make sure Deputy Ross got an eyeful of what her hair had covered.

“Ma’am, you’ll need to step away from the bike,” Deputy Chavez broke in.

If Ross’s slow perusal was a balm to her pride, Chavez’s stony expression was the pinprick slowly deflating her confidence…which kind of turned her on.

However, if she moved off the bike he’d see the wet spot on the leather—and how embarrassing would that be?

“Whenever you’re ready…” he growled. “Refusing isn’t an option.”

She lifted her chin. “Why? You gonna frisk me?”

“I don’t think I have to,” he said with a sharpened edge to his voice. “I can tell you’re not carrying.”

“What gave it away, Deputy?” she said, flashing him a smile she hoped would thaw his icy reserve.

“I’ve got an eye for concealed weapons.”

“Then you obviously missed a couple of suspicious lumps,” she said, drawing out her words in the sexiest whisper she could manage.

A muscle flexed along the edge of his strong, square jaw. “Ma’am, do you want me to search you?”

“I wouldn’t want you to give me any special favors on account of who my daddy is.”

“Wouldn’t think of it,” he said silkily. “Wonder what the judge is gonna say when we bring you in.”

Up to that point, Sarah had thought the two men were just having a little fun at her expense, but Chavez’s face didn’t show a flicker of what was really going through his mind. For the first time, she wondered if she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this after all. “We don’t have to wake Daddy up for something so minor, do we, boys? Can’t we work something out?”

“What do you have in mind, kitten?” Deputy Ross murmured.

Her gaze swung from Chavez’s impassive face to Ross’s. His smile was appreciative, something she could work with. Maybe he’d be willing to convince his friend to let this incident slide right under the carpet. “I don’t know, Deputy Ross. Neither of you have been in Paraiso long. You don’t know how things really work in our little town.”

His lips twitched. “And you want to help us out? Hear that, Joe? Sarah, here, is worried about us. Sounds mighty neighborly of you, Sarah.”

“Logan…” Deputy Chavez said, his deep voice rising in warning. “Go run her plates.”

“Sure. This is your bust.” His gaze flickered over Sarah’s chest, and a grin split his face.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him until he sauntered back to his squad car.

Alone with Chavez, she took a deep breath, looking at him from beneath the brush of her eyelashes to see if his gaze followed the movement of her chest.

Nope, his gaze was locked on her face. Deciding that maybe she should give him a little cooperation before she completely pissed him off, she kicked down the stand and climbed off her bike, knowing she was giving him an eyeful of her moist pussy—which, again, really turned her on. “Look, I know this looks bad…”

“This looks like you’re racking up multiple misdemeanor counts, Miss Michelson.”

No hesitation. No clearing his throat because she’d shocked or pleased him. Damn, he was a tough nut to crack. “Honestly, it’s just a little harmless hell-raising.”

The deputy shook his head, his expression turning downright grim. “Ever seen a person lay a bike down on pavement? Have you seen what road burn can do a person’s skin?”

Was he worried about her skin? She shook her head and stepped closer until only a few measly inches separated his Kevlar-cloaked chest and her beaded nipples.

“Ever seen what can happen when a head hits the pavement without a helmet,” he continued.

“It’s not against the law to ride without a helmet.”

“It is against the law to ride buck-naked in public.”

She quirked one side of her mouth up. “But I’m not completely nude.”

His chest rose, swift and hard. “Cowboy boots and chaps don’t cover the important parts.”

Sarah let her gaze sweep his body in a slow onceover. She lifted one brow when she locked with his dark brown gaze. “So, you did notice my ‘parts’.”

“I notice everything, Miss Michelson. This time, you went too far.”

Frustrated that her usual tactics weren’t making a dent in his resolve, she huffed a breath. “How’d you know about this ahead of time, anyway? You had time to set up a roadblock.”

“Do you think this is all about you? Maybe we were here stoppin’ drunk drivers.”

She placed a hand on her bare hip. “On this little horse trail of a road? Come on, who ratted me out?”

“A concerned citizen.”

She snorted. “Don’t be a killjoy. Don’t you ever do something just because it’s fun?”

“Ma’am, pardon me for saying this, but your daddy should have spanked you more when you were a child.”

“Daddy would never raise a hand against me.”

“Well, he didn’t do you any favors.”

All this talk about spanking was getting her flustered. Her face grew warm and sweat beaded on her upper lip. She licked it away and tilted her head, widening her eyes to let him see a hint of worry. “Look, there’s no reason for us to get into a fuss. There must be something I can do to make this right.”

“You can. You can turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

She let out another huffed breath. “You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack, ma’am.”

“No warrants on that bike, Joe,” Deputy Ross called out, approaching them again.

“Of course, there aren’t. It’s my goddamn bike.” Deputy Chavez’s expression tightened and she knew her attitude wasn’t helping matters one bit, so she tried another tack, forcing her mouth into a tiny smile that never failed to make men melt. “Deputy, isn’t there some way for us to work a trade? Something you want that will make you forget all about this?”

His gaze narrowed, landing on her lips. “What do you have in mind?”

She bit her lip to make sure his attention stayed there. “If you go easy on me…I’ll be easy for you.”

Deputy Ross’s low, rumbling chuckle was encouraging.

“Let me get this straight,” Deputy Chavez said. “Are you offering me sexual favors in exchange for me forgetting about the ticket I’m getting ready to write?”

She eyed him with suspicion. “Not if it means you’re just gonna slap me with more charges.”

“Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…” Something in Ross’s softly stated words warned her she was pushing his buddy a little too far.

But she wasn’t the patient sort, and Deputy Chavez was a challenge she couldn’t back down from.

Why’d he have to be such a handsome man? If he’d been butt-ugly, she might have stood a chance at charming him. If he didn’t already have a face that could make any woman wet, she might have stood a chance of making his wildest dreams come true.

Darker than Deputy Ross, with tawny skin, black hair, dark, hooded eyes and a large muscular frame that could sink a woman’s body deep into a soft mattress when he covered her, she could barely withhold a deep, lustful sigh just looking at him.

Surely, there was a way to cut through his starchy reserve.

Maybe she could try reasoning with him rather than seducing him. “Look, this doesn’t have to be a big deal. How about you just let me turn my bike around, and I’ll go on home. No harm, no foul.”

“It’s a little too late for that,” Chavez said.

Sarah let her lower lip tremble. “Please. I don’t want to end up on my daddy’s docket.”

“Should have thought about that before you decided to take a ride on the wild side.”

“You see there?” she said, biting her lower lip to call his attention to everything he was passing up. “That’s the problem. It’s not like this was premeditated. I didn’t decide. I didn’t think about it ahead of time. Danny Dawg dared me, and then had the gall to bet the bar I wouldn’t have the nerve…”

The slow shake of his head told her he wasn’t swayed by her lame-ass argument.

“Argh!” she growled and stomped her foot.

“Turn around. Give me your hands.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, pretending she wasn’t growing concerned. Her dad would have a cow if he knew she’d planned to ride naked past The Honky-tonk because of a bet. However, she couldn’t think of another argument, because her breaths were quickening with her panic. She jerked around and put her hands behind her.

“Logan, why don’t you move those barricades out of the way?”

Lord, she loved the sexy rumble of his deep voice.

Deputy Chavez clipped two manacles around her wrists but didn’t immediately step away. A long, pregnant moment stretched her nerves tight as the heat radiating from his body warmed her backside.

“You change your mind?” she asked, her voice shaking, all bravado draining away.

“I’m going to do you a favor,” he said quietly, his breath lifting the fine strands of her hair beside her ear.

“What kind of favor?” she whispered back, her heart starting to race because she sensed he was relenting…and because he stood so close his scent teased her senses. Coffee and musky man.

“I’m going to drive you back to your place and leave you with a warning.”

“That sounds more than fair,” she said softly.

“And you won’t give me anymore trouble from here on out on my watch, you hear?”

“You mean—forever?” she said, unable to suppress the disbelief in her tone. Didn’t he know he was asking the impossible?

“Yeah. As long as I’m here. No trouble.”

“I can try, but I can’t promise you a thing beyond tonight. Shit happens around me. I don’t plan on getting into trouble, but somehow, I end up on a highway in my birthday suit and a pair of boots—”

“If you don’t stay out of trouble, you can count on the fact I’m gonna know about it.”

“You’ll have people watching me?”

“You can bet on it.”

Sarah swallowed hard. “Because I’m a troublemaker?”

His chest touched her back. “Because I’m staking a claim.”

Goddamn, he did not just say that. Did he know he was waving a red flag right in front of her nose? “I’m not property. I won’t be staked.”

“Funny, I thought that was what you were asking me to do when you tried to bargain with me.”

She swallowed again. Despite his arrogant claim, her body didn’t seem the least bit offended. Fact was, pleasure slid right down her inner thighs. “Deputy?” she whispered.

“Yes, Miss Michelson?” he said just a softly.

“I have a confession to make.”

“Confession’s good for the soul, or so I hear.”

“Glad you think so…” She paused and wet her lips, this time because her mouth was dry. “I’m carrying.”

He grunted. “You slide a weapon somewhere I can’t see?”

“Uh huh.”

“Sarah…” A deep breath fluttered across her cheek. “I’m not playin’ games with you tonight. I’m on duty.”

Which was the entire point. A handsome-as-sin deputy stood inches from her nude body, and his rigid features and harsh voice were doing a number on her libido. Although she wasn’t exactly easy, she also never deprived herself of something she really, really wanted. And for some damn reason, right now, she wanted him. “I won’t tell. I don’t think your friend will either.”

Footsteps crunched from the direction of the other squad car. “Man, you have to search her now,” Logan said. “She says she’s concealing a weapon. Um…I have to go gather up the flares.”

A low groan sounded behind her. “Okay, little witch, spread ’em,” he said, nudging apart her feet until her stance was wide.

Cool air licked between her legs and carried the scent of the arousal gathering along the folds of her sex. “Ah, God,” she said and bit her lips because his large, warm hands landed on her shoulders, and she thought she might just melt into a puddle.

He started at her neck, lifting her long hair, thumbs skimming beneath the thick fall and pressing deep enough she sighed and tilted back her head. Then his hands glided over her shoulders, down her left arm then her right. Hands skimmed her back and slid around her waist to smooth upwards and check beneath her breasts.

Her breath caught, and his hands paused, thumbs nudging the tender undersides.

“Nothing hidden here,” he murmured.

She let loose a quivering breath. “Not curious about whether they’re real?”

His breath deepened, and his hands cupped her breasts, lifting them to deliver a squeeze. “No foreign objects there.”

Sarah smiled, and then gasped as thumbs flicked her tightly beaded tips, but he didn’t linger. His hands slid to her sides again, then to her hips, and sank lower to cup her buttocks. When fingers glided between her legs and slid through the fluid smeared on her inner thighs they slowed.

“Goddamn,” he breathed.

Her thighs shivered, but he was already moving downward, smoothing down her black leather chaps to her boots then up her outer thighs. He stepped backward. “You lied. You don’t have any hidden weapons.”

“Maybe you didn’t check thoroughly enough,” she said, her breaths ragged.

“Think you need a cavity search?”

She glanced over her shoulder and wrinkled her nose. “That sounds unappetizing. I was thinking more along the line of a thorough…probing.”

His hands gripped the notches of her hips. “You don’t make the rules, Sarah. I’m not playing your game.”

She bit her tongue to keep from blurting out the fact she’d already gotten him to let her off with a warning. And hadn’t the pat down been her idea, too?

His breath stirred her hair again. “Think it was just a coincidence that Danny Dawg dared you to ride naked tonight?”

She stiffened against him. “Why would he do it on purpose? And why would he do it for you?”

“Danny got pulled over for a broken tail light last night. And wouldn’t you know…his license was expired.”

She drew a deep, seething breath. “Sonofabitch.”

“That’s me,” he said, his grip tightening, and then falling away. “And don’t forget it. When I’m not wearing this badge, you can fight me all you like, but I know how hot you are right now,” he said, slipping his fingers between her legs from behind and holding them against her folds.

Sarah wished her pussy wasn’t primed, but she couldn’t help the little contraction that sucked at his fingertips. “It was just the ride. Don’t you know why girls like motorcycles?”

“It’s a sad substitute.” His fingers pulled away. “Wait for my call.”

“When hell freezes over, Deputy,” she bit out.

“Keep tellin’ yourself that if it helps your pride.” He tugged the chain between her cuffs to shift her to the side and open the back door of the cruiser. “Now, slide on across that seat. I’ll take you home.”

Sarah bent and slid inside.

“Buddy, you need anything else?” Logan asked, closer than she’d known because her mind had been so filled with Deputy Chavez. “I got the bike off the road and hidden behind some bushes. She can come for it tomorrow.”

Chavez slammed her door. Logan Ross winked as he passed, and then the tight-faced deputy slid into the driver’s seat and pulled out onto the highway.

Sarah sat in stony silence. No way was she talking to the bastard. He’d set her up so he could do what? Get her attention to ask her on a date? How low was that?

While the cool air tightened her nipples, Sarah couldn’t help the flush of pleasure that swept her cheeks and chest at the thought of the deliberate planning that’d gone into tonight’s ingenious mousetrap.

He’d played her. Knew her hot buttons. He’d set the trap with sweet temptation, and then baited her with a cool reserve that pricked her interest. How did he know her so well? Had he been watching her all along—talking to people she knew just to learn enough about her personality to strategize?

The thought was heady. She could only imagine what he’d be like once he got her into bed—not that she would give up the game so easily.

No, the next round would be hers.