See You at Sunset

by V. K. Sykes

  Which described about half the men on the island.

  Tomorrow, Micah would canvass more homes up the hill, hoping to find others who might have seen that lone man walking—or maybe parking a car. But he didn’t need to wake those folks up tonight. Especially not when he wanted to get back to Holly as soon as he could.

  Heading back down the slope, he tapped on her front door with his flashlight. When Holly threw the door open, she was barefoot and now wore black exercise pants and a yellow tank top—her bee outfit, as he’d heard her aunts call it.

  Micah called it sexy as hell, especially with her hair down in a gorgeous mess around her shoulders.

  Holly didn’t hide the relief in her gaze and welcoming smile. “Find anything?” she asked as she stepped aside to let him in. She shut and locked the door behind them.

  “Not much. Janet Garvey said she saw a man walking down the hill sometime before midnight, but her description isn’t going to be much help.”

  “Could it have been Cain?”

  He snorted. “It could have been just about anybody.”

  “Kind of an odd time to be going for a walk around here,” she said, leading him into the kitchen. “Want some tea?”

  Micah would have preferred a shot of whisky but nodded. “I’d have been a lot more excited if she’d seen a parked car and given me a decent description of it.”

  “For sure.” She poured tea into a white mug.

  “Did you call Morgan yet?”

  “Micah, I know you think I should, but I’m going to be okay. Really I am.”

  “You don’t sound okay to me.” In fact, her voice sounded totally strained and she looked exhausted.

  “I’m a little shaken up, but I’ll be fine.”

  When she handed over the mug, he caught the slight tremble of her hand. “Okay, but then I’m not going anywhere tonight.”

  Her eyes popped wide. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll sit in the cruiser until you get up in the morning. Because I’m sure you’re not going to get a single minute of sleep if you’re all alone here.”

  When she started to object, he held up a hand. “Come on, you know I’m right.”

  She sighed. “Micah, that would be crazy. It’s incredibly sweet of you to offer, but—”

  “It’s not an offer, Holly. It’s just a fact. It’s what I’m going to do.”

  “Micah—”

  “Look, I’d do the same for any islander. You know that.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and studied him. Then her mouth parted in a smile so sweet it almost took him out at the knees. “Yes, I do. And I also know you’re the most stubborn deputy sheriff on the whole darn planet, so there’s no point in arguing with you. But you don’t have to sit out there in the cruiser, you crazy man. You’re welcome to sleep on the sofa.”

  Micah had figured she might say that. But there was no way he was going to spend the night in the house with Holly. He could barely keep his hands off her as it was. “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’ve got to be feeling…”

  Well, she was vulnerable now, and vulnerable people often did things they regretted later. They’d already played that song after that night at Jerry’s dock. “Holly, it’s just not a good idea.”

  A blush colored her pale cheeks as she shook her head. “That’s very—”

  “It’s non-negotiable,” he interrupted. He didn’t want to hear her tell him how decent or kind he was, or some other shit like that. That wasn’t what he wanted from her.

  She nodded, looking a bit deflated. “Well, you at least have to let me give you a blanket. I can hear the wind off the bay, so it might get cold out there.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Keeping distance between them now was anything but good, but it was what he had to do.

  Holly closed the door to her closet. Her room was looking fairly respectable now, as was Beatrice’s bedroom. She’d been working steadily for over two hours and had cleaned up some of the worst damage. But it was late, and she should really try to get some sleep. She had to open the store in just a few hours.

  Every time Holly thought about Florence’s brooch, her stomach pulled into a sickening twist. Her aunt had proudly told her so many times that she’d be leaving it to Holly for her to pass along to her own daughter. How was she supposed to tell her poor aunt that her most cherished possession was gone?

  She glanced out the bedroom window at Micah’s cruiser, reassuring herself once again that he was still there. It had been hours since he’d holed up in the Tahoe, and she was increasingly resigned to a wakeful night despite his comforting presence outside. While every muscle in her body screamed out its exhaustion, her brain was on the hamster track—wired and more than a little paranoid.

  How stupid was it to be worrying even one bit with Micah standing guard? Whenever she looked out the window, he was either reading something by the dim interior light or drumming his hands on the steering wheel. At one point he got out of the car and paced to the end of the driveway, glancing up and down the road, his broad shoulders hunched up against the stiff breeze off the bay.

  And didn’t that make her feel guilty as hell? It didn’t matter that she’d told him to leave. Micah was a protector. He’d always been that way, even as a kid. He’d looked out for all his friends and for the younger kids on the island too. Even the bullies in school had known to give him a wide berth or face his righteous wrath whenever they picked on someone little or weak.

  How some woman hadn’t snatched him up years ago was an unfathomable mystery.

  When she went back downstairs to put on the kettle for yet another pot of tea, she heard a car door slam. She lit the burner on the range and hurried to the front window, peering out to see if Micah was coming to the door or just making another circuit of the driveway.

  She wanted it to be the former.

  Micah apparently wasn’t going anywhere though. He just leaned backward over the Tahoe’s hood, like he was stretching out his back. He had something in his right hand—it looked like one of those exercise grips, the old-fashioned kind used to strengthen hands and wrists.

  He stretched again and then twisted sideways, switching the grip to his left hand in the process. Then he tossed the thing into the cruiser, shook his arms out, and pulled off a few yoga moves—including the tree pose. Holly choked out a surprised laugh. Who’d have thought tough-guy Deputy Sheriff Micah Lancaster would be doing some yoga? It was incredibly endearing.

  And pretty hot, actually. The guy was in phenomenal shape, and boy did he have some moves.

  Then she realized that his unconventional exercise routine must be to help him fight sleep. And more guilt washed over her.

  This is ridiculous.

  Not bothering to slip on shoes, she opened the door and strode out onto the porch. “Micah Lancaster, get in here right this minute!”

  He froze midstretch, staring at her.

  “Don’t make me come out there and drag you in,” she threatened in a firm voice. She wanted him to come in, but she did not want him to think it was because she was needy or afraid.

  Okay, maybe she was feeling needy, but she wasn’t afraid. Especially not now, not when she was so close to him.

  Needy, in fact, described what she was feeling quite nicely. Needy for him.

  “Uh, Holly, like I told you—”

  “No. In here. Now.” She pivoted and marched back inside, leaving the door wide open. As she waited at the base of the stairs, her heart pounded with a spiraling mix of anxiety and anticipation.

  A few seconds later, he appeared in the doorway but didn’t come right in, instead bracing his hands on the doorframe. The unconscious pose did all sorts of enticing things to his brawny shoulders and chest, and Holly was overcome with an irresistible desire to rip off his shirt and run her hands over all him.

  But then she suddenly realized that she hadn’t thought through what she would say
to him. She hadn’t even been sure he’d come in.

  His brow furrowed as he stepped inside. “Holly?”

  “Micah, I… I… I wanted to tell you…” She threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, screw it.”

  She went at him in a rush, practically leaping on him. He huffed out a startled oof as she wound herself around him.

  “Honey, what’s the matter?” he asked urgently, folding her into his embrace. “Talk to me.”

  “No talk,” she said. “Talk’s not what I need. I need you.”

  She needed his arms around her, warm and safe and loving. He’d loved her for a long time, and he’d shown it tonight by protecting her even when she claimed she didn’t need it. He knew better. He knew her.

  Micah had worried that she’d be feeling vulnerable, and he hadn’t wanted to take advantage of it. But she wasn’t feeling vulnerable at all—it was the opposite, in fact. What she felt now swept over her with a power that ripped away all the reasons she’d shut him out for so long.

  Micah sucked in a huge breath. “Holly, you’re scared and upset. It’s not the time—”

  She reached up and grabbed his head, making him look at her.

  “Please shut up now, Micah.” Then she leaned in and kissed him with everything she had. When she slid her tongue along the edge of his lips, he opened to her pressure and let out a deep groan that made her knees shake. His hands slid down to her ass and nudged her against him. He was already hard.

  As she wriggled closer, trying to get to the sweet spot, Micah pulled back. Holly swallowed a frustrated groan and curled her hands into his shoulders, holding tight. There was no way she was letting go, not this time. There was no reason to deny what they both wanted. And what they both clearly needed.

  Okay, there were reasons. But she’d be damned if she paid attention to them.

  You can worry about that tomorrow.

  He stared down at her with a gaze alive with heat and wanting. His cheeks were flushed under his tan, and his mouth was damp from their kiss. Just looking at him made her heart pound, and made her go soft and wet between her thighs.

  “Holly, are you sure?” His voice was rough and urgent. “Because I really need you to be sure.”

  She went up on her tiptoes and flicked her tongue over his lips, deliberately teasing him. When he sucked in a huge breath, she snuggled closer, rubbing her breasts against him.

  “Well,” he said with a shaky laugh, “I’d say that’s a yes.”

  “You can take it to the bank,” she whispered against his mouth.

  “I’d rather take you to bed,” he murmured, nipping her lip. “But I don’t think I can make it that far.”

  Holly let out a squeak when he clamped his hands on her bottom and hoisted her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips. That brought him right up against her sweet spot, and she couldn’t hold back a happy moan.

  Micah carried her the few short steps into the living room and lowered her to the sofa. Then he came down between her thighs, pushing them wide as he knelt between them.

  Holly braced herself on the cushions and stared into his heated gaze. He hadn’t been kidding when he said they weren’t going to make it upstairs. In fact, he looked like he was going to do her right here, right now—and that was more than fine with her.

  “Man, I love how you look in these,” he said, brushing his fingers down the center seam of her yoga pants. “I can imagine what every sweet inch of you looks like when you wear them.”

  “Okay, that’s kind of embarrassing. You’re not really supposed to see anything,” she said, almost breathlessly.

  No wonder she was losing her breath, since he was gently rubbing her most sensitive spot through the thin fabric.

  He pushed her thighs a bit wider. “I have a very good imagination.”

  Holly fell back against the cushions and let the luxurious sensations wash through her. But even as she felt her tense muscles relax under his heated caress, another kind of tension started to pull her tight from the inside out—the kind that had her wanting to crawl all over his awesome body and have her way with him.

  She dragged her eyes open, surprised to find she’d let them fall shut. His gaze was avid and intent as he stroked up the inside of her thighs, then gently rubbed her inner folds through the fabric. She jerked, the first hint of an orgasm sending out little ripples of gorgeous sensation.

  “Hmm, that was nice,” he murmured. She heard the satisfaction in his deep voice.

  “Yeah, but I need more.” And she needed it now. She pushed herself up and reached for him, grabbing his shirt to haul it up over his head with shaking hands.

  Micah huffed out a gravelly laugh. “In a hurry, babe? What’s the rush?”

  She shook her head impatiently, nudging his arms up so she could slip the polo shirt from his body. It wasn’t just lust that was driving her and making her hands shake. It was a craving for him that went so deep it almost scared her. It was like she could never get enough of him once they started.

  Or like she could never walk away from him and be happy. Not after tonight.

  He finished pulling the shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. Holly let her hands drift over his shoulders and down his biceps. God, he was so brawny and beautiful that it almost made her feel faint, like some swooning heroine in an old-fashioned novel. The sight of him looming over her set her heart to fluttering, that was for damn sure.

  And it ain’t just your heart that’s fluttering, girl. Her insides clenched deliciously just looking at him.

  Micah reached for her yoga top. “Let’s get you naked too.”

  “But you’re not naked yet,” she protested.

  “Details, details.”

  He eased the top over her head, taking her bra with it. Holly shivered at the flare of lust in his eyes as he took her in.

  “You’re so damn gorgeous, babe,” he rasped out.

  His hands shaped her breasts, tugging on her already-stiff nipples. Her body instinctively arched into his hands.

  “I want to see all of you,” he said.

  A few seconds later, he had her out of her yoga pants and skimpy panties. Holly sat on the sofa, naked and spread wide, with him between her thighs. Micah looked almost… stunned.

  A happy stunned, thank goodness—like he’d just woken up to the best Christmas morning ever. Holly had never felt so exposed, but she’d also never felt so sexy. Giving in to impulse, she leaned back and draped her arms along the back of the sofa, curving her back into a gentle arch.

  “Jesus,” Micah groaned. “You’re gonna kill me, Holly.”

  She flashed him a wicked grin. “Not before you take care of me, I hope.”

  “I’m not leaving this house until you’re a hundred percent satisfied and then some,” he said with a sexy growl.

  Then he was on her, his mouth taking hers in a fierce kiss. She clutched at his shoulders, steadying herself, but she almost lost it a second later when he thrust two fingers into her body. Holly was already so wet and slick that he slid deep, making her almost come on the spot.

  She cried out against his lips, but Micah showed her no mercy, driving her insane with ravenous, possessive kisses that left her breathless and aching for more. His fingers pumped into her, driving her toward a quick, desperate climax. Adrenaline surged through her body, and shivers raced across her skin. All the stresses of the last few weeks were blasted away under the heat of his big, talented hands on her body.

  Micah pushed her right to the edge, and then suddenly, shockingly, he pulled back.

  “What are you doing?” she cried out in frustration.

  “I want to watch you,” he said with a sensual growl.

  He flashed a hot look at his hand between her thighs, then his gaze came back to her face. When his other hand settled on her breast, Holly let out whimper. So. Damn. Good.

  Micah pressed his fingers deep, then pulled out to gently rub her. Holly gasped and curled forward, grabbing his forearms.
<
br />   So close.

  “Come on, babe. Let go,” he whispered.

  She let out a cry as sensation bolted through her body. Her muscles shook and she felt suspended in air, supported only by his strong hands. Then she slowly collapsed against the cushions, struggling to breathe.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped. “That was—”

  “Just the beginning,” Micah said in a gruff voice. He came to his feet and hauled her up into his arms. “We’re going up to your bedroom and we’re not leaving until I have my wicked way with you. Multiple times.”

  Holly managed a weak laugh as he swung her up into his arms. She didn’t have the strength, or the will, to resist him.

  Which was either the smartest or the dumbest move of her life.

  Chapter 23

  Micah pulled up to Crystal Murphy’s trailer. It was early morning, but not as early as he’d planned to get to work on the case. Not wanting to be spied by any early risers, he’d intended to slip out of Holly’s warm bed long before sunrise. Unfortunately, fate had had other plans about that.

  Leaving her asleep—after a long, spectacular bout of lovemaking—he’d made a dash for his cruiser and pulled out to the end of the driveway at the exact moment Father Michael rolled past on his bicycle. Though the priest had lifted an ironic eyebrow, he thankfully didn’t stop to chat, instead just giving him a cheery wave. Micah could only hope that the good father, on hearing about the burglary, would assume that Seashell Bay’s deputy sheriff had simply been investigating the crime scene.

  Yeah, right. At seven thirty in the morning.

  Well, that was Micah’s story, and he was going to stick to it. Though he didn’t give a damn if the whole world knew that he’d had been with Holly, she would care. People would gossip, and there would undoubtedly be a few snide remarks about Micah’s investigative technique.