“Okay, I’m on call if you need me call. If you don’t need me, as in you can handle it yourself, don’t call me. I’m trying to convince this woman not to change her mind about spending Christmas with me so don’t make it harder for me.” He chuckled.
“Christmas at your house?”
“Yes. Where else would I have her, Hillary?” His words “have her,” made her mind go some place completely different. Why did this man make her want to think naughty thoughts and do very naughty things?
“Well you know…your house is…well…”
Bethany laughed. “I’m sure it’s fine. I don’t care how small it is, I’m sure it’s great.” Hillary raised a questioning eyebrow at Miles.
“What?” Bethany looked between them.
“We haven’t discussed that yet, Hill.”
“I see.”
“What? It can’t be that bad,” she looked at him. “Miles, I slept in a car once upon a time. Unless you’re taking up residence in a bear cave it can’t be that bad.” She looked at the expression on Hillary’s face and then at Miles. Could it be that bad? “Oh my God. If you’re in a bear cave then you’re on your own. I don’t do bears—not since that time on the set of Bear Haven where the trainer lost control,” she shivered. “Ooh, never again.”
“You worked that?” Hillary looked at her.
“What happened with Bear Haven?” Miles looked between the two of them as if they shared a secret he wanted to know more about.
“I saw it in the papers. That bear was supposed to be friendly but it nearly killed that stunt woman. It nearly ripped off her arm and clawed her to death.”
“Why were you working something like that?” Miles looked near outrage. His protective side was surging to the top once again.
“I was on the set because our diva leading lady was throwing a hissy fit.”
“Delany Vankamp,” Hillary nodded. “That woman is just trash.”
“I’ll refrain from speaking on that. My job would not survive such honestly open discussions.” She grinned and she could tell Hillary knew she agreed with her. Delany was a witch and a whore. She slept her way to the top and stomped on anybody who got in her way. “Anyway, I don’t know what went wrong but that bear just freaked. I mean I’ve never seen an animal filming go that wrong. Greg was on the set that day. You met him,” she looked at Miles and nodded before turning her attention back to Hillary. “He grabbed me and pulled me into the closest trailer. We had to run to it, but he got me in before that bear could reach us. Once it was done with the stunt woman it started looking for its next victim and we were closest I guess.”
Miles growled fiercely. She would think maybe he thought her job was all smiles and sunshine outside of handling people, but he would be wrong. She worked a lot more than what most people thought. She pretty much did the job of ten people in the field, plus she was personal psychologist when the emotional load hit the fan and they needed to keep actors from tanking a movie with their larger than life antics.
“Anyway, the sheriff on the set took the kill shot.” She shook her head and sighed. “The stunt woman, Jessica Dillard, she’s still recovering from her injuries but at least she survived. At least I guess that’s a good thing. Last I heard she’s angry with the world and hates everybody. She won’t leave her house. She won’t answer the phone.” Bethany shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. And I hope I never see anything like that again.” She shivered again at the memory of what she saw and what had almost happened to her. If it weren’t for Greg she would probably be dead right now.
Miles wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close as if he were going to protect her from the ghost of her memory. He couldn’t, but she would admit having his arm wrapped around her really did feel some kind of wonderful.
Miles showed her around town, down to the beach where they walked down by the water for a little while and then back up to the lookout point that had the perfect view of the ocean and a gorgeous white and red lighthouse. The rocky waters below enthralled her. This was near perfect.
“How secluded is it up here?” She looked over to Miles sitting there with his sexy dark blue jeans and a button down shirt on. He wasn’t wearing any kind of uniform like the deputy had worn, but she had seen him with his cuffs and gun secured to his body. Even now, with his gun secured elsewhere, he still looked every bit the lawman.
“Usually enough to enjoy the view, but some nights…well, you know, teens, couples and frisky adults come up here and get frisky.” He laughed. “And sometimes a visitor or two call us and we have to come break it up.”
“Why”
“Honey, it’s illegal to have sex in public.”
She laughed. “No, why do they call you?”
“Some people take offense and they call us. We know what goes on up here sometimes—especially on Valentine’s Night. We just look the other way most times.”
She smiled. “Why officer that is just so wrong.”
He shrugged. “Well you know we have other things to tend to.”
“Like what?” She smiled causing her seriousness to falter.
“Millie Tilden’s cat up a tree,” he laughed at his own words and that caused her to start laughing too. Oh yes, saving a cat up a tree was definitely more important than breaking up adults shagging in public.
“So are you ready to head back to town?”
“Not yet,” she said as she moved out of her seat and joined him in his. She straddled his waist. Her legs positioned on either side of his body.
“Bethany,” he mumbled.
“I don’t think it’s fair that I’ve come all this way, to such a beautiful place, and you’re ready to send me back unsatisfied.” She leaned in and brushed her lips against his before pulling back enough to look in his eyes. “You started something last night that you didn’t finish. Finish it.” She went in for the kiss—the one she knew could take him from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat and she was right. He opened his mouth and let her tongue in as one hand fisted her hair and the other went straight to her hip and started working its way down to her behind.
“Miles,” she moaned as his mouth left hers and went for her neck, kissing his way down to the V in her knitted sweater. He grumbled. The fabric obviously covered what he wanted to get to because he pulled and tugged and tried to nearly rip it off her body.
“Wait,” she gasped. She was going to need that top to get home. She pulled back swiftly, fumbled with the buckle on the belt wrapped around her waist until it was undone and then she lifted the sweater over her head. Cool air assaulted her body, but the coolness didn’t last long. Miles brought his mouth back to her skin and turned up the heat once again. Now, instead of her neck he was kissing her shoulder and then her chest and then tugging the bra strap down enough for him to reach his big hand inside and scoop out her breast. Once it was free of its cage his mouth came down on her. His tongue swirled around her nipple enticingly before his lips latched on with one firm suck.
“God!” She felt her body moving on its own accord, rubbing against him near frantically. Clearly he understood her plight because his hand slipped between her legs and cupped her firmly as the other massaged the breast he was sucking on. His fingers deftly rubbed through the fabric of her jeans. It wasn’t enough. “More,” she moaned as her head fell backwards with the pleasure she felt from just his touch. “Please more,” she panted.
His mouth left her body only briefly. He took one look down to her fitted jeans and found the button before returning his attention to the obvious part of her body that he was most interested in touching. He pushed the button through the hole and then slipped the zipper down. If this was going to go beyond where they were at she was going to have to get those jeans down because there was no way anybody’s finger would fit in the tight space. She lifted her behind from his lap and tried to push the jeans down.
Her butt hit against the horn which set it off. He tried to help her get her balance and
get the jeans down but the more they tried to find purchase the more one part of her body banged against the steering wheel. They were so far gone with lust and desire that coordination was not an option.
“Ouch!” she yelped when her back hit the edge of the steering wheel. That one really did hurt. He stopped. She stopped. He pulled her flush against his body holding her, letting his hand smooth over the now sore parts that had probably gained a bruise from all that banging around she had done.
He chuckled softly. “I think we’re going to need more space for this.”
“Yeah,” she whispered with her face buried in the crook of his neck. “I’m sorry. You probably think I’m some easy slut, huh?”
“Not a chance.” He pushed her back enough to look in her eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that kind of bodily contact since the moment I saw you. I’m counting myself a lucky man right now. I just wish we could have made this happen.”
She kissed his lips softly. “Guess I should get dressed completely.” She fixed her bra and pulled herself off his lap so she could readjust her jeans and pull her sweater back on.
“Guess my gut is too big for that. A smaller man could have gotten you to glory right here,” he mumbled.
“A smaller man wouldn’t have gotten me that far,” she looked at him. “You’re fine, Miles. Don’t worry about it.”
“Fine?”
“Yes, fine. Trust me. You’re the first guy I’ve spent the day with that has made me want to break the law.” She pushed her disheveled hair out of her face. “But at least you couldn’t arrest me without incriminating yourself. You’re guilty of a little public sex too.”
“Public almost sex,” he mumbled.
“Public almost sex,” she agreed. He could not possibly start griping about his weight like some dysfunctional woman. Yes he was big. Yes there was more of him than she usually went for. But he was nice and funny and from the conversations they had she could see he was smart. So maybe they wouldn’t be able to pull off the two person front seat sex thing, but that was okay. There were other places they could explore each other. They just had to wait for it. Maybe waiting was good. The man just made her so hot sexually with his deep vibrating voice and that high level of confidence. But just like anybody else he had moments of weakness on the confidence front and she wouldn’t allow it, not because of this.
She took his hand in hers and laced her fingers closed over the back of his hand. “I had fun trying though,” she laughed. “We were like impulsive kids.”
“Hmm,” he nodded without the smile.
“And while I wanted to wait until I knew you a little better you’re just…you have this way about you, Miles. You make me want to forget we haven’t known each other that long. I talk with you and I feel like I’ve known you forever, like you understand me better than anybody other than my mother has ever understood me—maybe better than my mother.” He looked at her with longing in his eyes. “So next time we’re feeling the need to go beyond a kiss we’ll find a place where we won’t get arrested and…”
“And we have space for me.”
“I’m sure there’s enough space for you,” she winked. “But if you need to test me out you can always do a hand test.”
He laughed heartedly which is what she wanted. “Woman you are amazing.”
She laughed. “Thanks. Can we do this again—dinner, dancing, you know…time together?”
“I should hope so since you’re supposed to come stay with me over Christmas Eve and day.”
She held on to his hand still. “I meant like tomorrow; that is if you’re not too busy. I have a video conference call at eight. Those usually go for a few hours unless somebody gets hostile and then I could be there all day. But I would like to come down and have lunch with you if I can.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. She shifted to move a little closer to him. The gear shift was in the way but because of her size she was able to tilt enough to fit comfortably. She laid her head on his shoulder.
“My mother has an attached suite. It’s kind of like a house all to herself the way the execs had it built. She lives there with my nephew. Steve, our resident horse caretaker, lives in an apartment some distance from the main house but still on the property. He’s still close, just not too close. Anyway, I guess I’m telling you this because if…you know…we head to my place sometime we would have some privacy. Donovan will be gone for the summer so I’d feel better with that. Wait, I’ll be gone for the summer.”
“Gone?”
“I have to fly back to L.A. and do my work from there for about a month or two. Do you like California?”
“Not really,” he mumbled.
“Would you come visit me anyway? I would be in a nice area. All of our spare homes, the ones where we keep the money making clients when they come, are nice and private.”
“You would want me to come visit you out there in the world of glitz?”
“Yes. I promise to try not to embarrass you.”
“Me? How could you embarrass me? I would think I’d embarrass you.”
She slapped her free hand against his thigh. “Stop that.”
“Hitting a law officer is a punishable offense, Bethany.”
“Oh Officer, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She laughed. “My hand just slipped.”
He laughed hard. His belly jiggled with his mirth. “How could you embarrass me?”
“I figure we’ll be so close by that point that I’ll miss you a lot. By the time I see you in baggage claim I’ll probably jump your bones right there in the lobby.”
“Well now I’ll definitely come to L.A. for that.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.
“You’ll wait for me right? You won’t see somebody else while I’m away will you? I mean my job involves a lot of travel and I’ll be here and then gone and then back. I need to know you’re not going to…you know, step out on me while I’m away.”
He released her hand and adjusted his arm so he could wrap it around her. “I won’t step out on you, Bethany. That’s not the kind of man I am. I’ll wait for you. I just hope you’ll wait for me too. Don’t go back to California and find some Adonis and run away with him.”
“I’ve seen several versions of Adonis, Miles. None of them have made me want to run away with them, after all this time I doubt highly anybody is going to do it now. But don’t worry. I won’t step out on you. In fact I’m thinking we can do some phone…um…you know.”
“Oh yeah, I know. And yes, I would definitely want to explore you by phone and in every other method too.”
She turned her head and reached up to put a kiss on his cheek. She scurried back to her own seat. “So tomorrow I’ll come down for lunch. Where do you want me to meet you?”
“The station’s fine. I’ll work until you get here and then I’ll take a break.”
“Okay. I’ll call you if I’m not going to be able to make lunch. If things get heated during the meeting I may have to make it dinner if you want that.”
“Either way is fine. I just want to see you.”
She smiled at him and leaned over enough to kiss his lips one more time before repositioning herself in her seat.
Chapter Four
Miles had spent a great deal of time trying to find a way to explain to Hillary why he hadn’t told Bethany about his fortune. He wasn’t thinking that she needed his money because clearly she had enough money of her own not to need his. He couldn’t explain why he hadn’t told her about his good fortune other than the fact that it didn’t come up. She, unlike some of the other women he had dated, hadn’t asked how much he was worth. She hadn’t even cared. Clearly she thought he was devoid of some money because she thought his house was small. It most definitely wasn’t small. He had six acres of land and a house big enough to host parties and poker matches if he wanted to. He had what some people would probably refer to as an estate—a near Texas sized estate. He liked the place. He
had privacy with the fully gated property and he had peace. But he hadn’t told her about his home, his bank account or anything. He hadn’t told her and she hadn’t cared to ask. That told him she wasn’t with him just because she saw a dollar sign over his head. She was with him even though she thought he had very little. She was with him even though she could be with a man who weighed less—a man with a healthy weight and a model type physique. She could be with any man she wanted and she had graced him with the pleasure of her company.
The more he thought about how she had been since he cornered her in the hallway at the poker match the more he realized that she had been ready to keep walking until he turned on his typical confident charm. It was the confidence that screamed I’m worth it and you better believe it. Because of that she had agreed to a date. And because that date had proved he could make her laugh, he could listen, he could warm her heart and heat up her body she had wanted to know more. He had enticed her, not with his looks, but with his personality, to open the package and get to know more. Forget insecurities. The woman proved by how wild she was in the truck that she wanted him. Had he been thinking, and had the air not been so chilled outside, he should have let down the back gate, moved some of the police equipment out the way and got her naked back there.
Things had been going well. Maybe they were going too well to be true he decided. Maybe she was like a dream—there for a few minutes and gone forever once out of sight.
They had spent the greater part of the week and a half together, each time she had come down to Shadow Ridge to try to work things around his schedule. But then she had gotten a call that had her shoulders tense. He wanted to know what it was about and she just said it was work, that she had to go and that they needed her in L.A. today. It was nearly one o’clock at that time so he wasn’t sure how that would happen but apparently they got her on a private company jet and out to L.A. where she went to work despite the fact that it was nearly midnight.
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