by Tawny Weber
Why had he thought he should slow it down? He couldn’t remember as the taste of her filled his senses again.
The phone chimed again, accompanied by a buzzing this time. Loud, grating and way too insistent.
“Shit.”
Furious for losing control, and for being interrupted before he could lose more of it, Diego set Jade down with a thud. Ignoring her shell-shocked look, he stomped a safe two yards away.
“That’s my cell phone. I have to take the call.”
“Huh?”
His ego swelled almost as big as his dick at the sex-fogged confusion in her eyes.
The phone buzzed again. He glanced at the display.
Kinnison.
It was like getting kicked in the ass in an ice bath. And, he realized, exactly what he needed. A reminder to keep his hands, mouth—and any other body parts—away from temptation.
* * *
WATCHING DIEGO TALK on the phone, Jade’s body trembled with the aftershocks of desire. All she could think of was how much she wanted Diego, covered in hot fudge and whipped cream. She’d never felt this way before. Anticipation, excitement, heat, they all tangled together.
It was too fast, though.
Wasn’t it?
Her mind pointed out that sex, even fling sex with a passing hottie who fit every single one of her fantasy requirements, always had repercussions. Responsible women made sure they could handle the repercussions before they dived off the deep end. They thought through the consequences.
And they made sure they were dressed appropriately. And since all Jade’s good lingerie was being washed—again—she was stuck in granny panties and a torn cotton mustard-yellow bra. Pretty much the unsexiest undies she owned.
There. Shaking her hands as if she could fling off the sexual tension, she gave a decisive nod. That should keep her from giving in to temptation.
Feeling like one of the teenage girls she often lectured, Jade tried to at least look calm. Sure, her stomach was dancing. Her pulse was racing. Maybe anticipation was doing questionable things to the bagel she’d had for breakfast. But she didn’t have to look as if she was freaked out. Faking It with Fashion 101... Look good and people believe you are good. Or in this case, look confident and he wouldn’t realize her toes were shaking.
While a part of her wondered when she’d become obsessed with sex, or at least sex with Diego, the rest of her—the parts that weren’t racing, dancing or threatening to spew—tried to remember everything she knew about being strong and empowered. About taking charge and going after what she wanted.
Clueless that he was front and center in her obsessive mental debate, Diego ended his call and tucked his phone into his pocket. She watched him stride across the slate, legs long and lean in dark denim. Here he came, temptation in a leather jacket.
She tilted her chin high, pulled her shoulders back and pressed one hand against her stomach. Strong and steady, she was ready to face down temptation. How’s that for empowered? she thought as she mentally patted herself on the back.
“We should get to work.”
She frowned. What happened to temptation?
“Work?” She peered at his face. Closed, distant and almost chilly. Her gaze slid to the phone he was tucking into his pocket. Had someone died?
“Work. I need to solve this case and get back to my own life,” he said.
If he’d sounded angry, or impatient, she’d have been able to dish it right back. But he simply sounded...gone.
The way he’d be as soon as he solved this silly Panty Thief case. Gone, back to his own life. His exciting world. His career and his dreams.
And Jade would be here.
Same life.
Same town.
Same unfulfilled existence.
Pressing her lips tight together to keep the sudden tears at bay, Jade rubbed her hands over her arms, wishing she’d thought to grab her jacket.
“You okay?” he asked, closing the distance for a brief second to sound concerned.
“I’m fine,” she said, shrugging as if it’d knock the tension off her shoulders. “Just chilly. I have an extra coat inside, though.”
“C’mon, then.” He gestured toward the library door. “Get it so we can go talk to people. You said you’d be able to ease the way so they’d open up to me, right? Fill me in, gauge fact from fiction?”
“Sure thing,” she murmured absently, stepping into the dimly lit back room and making her way to the employee break room where she kept a spare jacket.
Suddenly—and she didn’t care how illogical the idea was—she was sure Diego was more than just a hot, sexy temptation for incredible sex. He was inspiration, and for more than kinky positions. Empowerment meant grabbing ahold of what you wanted, taking risks and learning new things.
She didn’t know what she might learn from him, what he might spark in her. She just knew he represented freedom. Excitement. She might have to settle for a life without her fantasy career as a stylist, but here was a chance to have a few of her other fantasies.
The sexual ones.
She just had to figure out how to convince him to strip naked and start making those fantasies come true.
* * *
THREE HOURS LATER, she was still figuring.
“I think that’s it,” Diego decided as he flipped through his little police notebook. “We’ve talked to all the victims and their families, as well as everyone who discovered the stolen goods. Was that the entire population of Diablo Glen?”
“Well, a large part of it,” Jade agreed, keeping step with him as he strode down the sidewalk of Main Street. “There are about two dozen people out of town for the holidays. Visiting family, vacations, that kind of thing. And there are a few families who live out on the edge of the city limits, but we’d have to drive to see them.”
Nonplussed, he shook his head. “I can’t believe you can get from one end of town to the other without needing car keys.”
“We can’t have spoken with everyone. What about all the rest? The ones you waved to in stores, the diner. Gathered at that big building on the edge of the park. All prettied up to look like it’s made of candy? Was that the town hall?”
Jade smiled at his description. The town hall, heck, all the public buildings, looked great. She’d actually had fun watching his reaction, seeing the disdain slowly melt from building to building as he came to appreciate all the artistry in the thematic decorations.
“You talked to all the major players in the panty drama, and most of the minor ones,” she assured him. “There are a lot of people who aren’t even bystanders, though. You caught us at our busy season. Rebecca Lee’s getting married the first week of the new year, so she’s got a bunch of relatives visiting. A lot of the families have company in for the holidays, too. Our quaint small-town-Christmas thing holds major appeal for some people.”
As much as she craved the big city, she couldn’t imagine doing the holidays any other way. Looking intrigued, Diego stopped to read a flyer in the bookstore window that announced the Twelve Days of Books event, complete with gingerbread and hot cocoa.
“You get a lot of strangers through?” he asked, nodding to a Washington license plate as he tucked his notebook back in his pocket.
“Sure, some. Like I said, there are a lot of visitors for a small town this time of year. You met Marion Kroger in the library?” She waited until he nodded before continuing, “She’s got at least a dozen or more people out at her place. She must have a huge family, because they cycle through at least three or four times a year.”
“Any of them come into town?”
Jade shrugged.
“Probably. Every once in a while we get a few people I can’t place. But not too often. That’s not a stranger’s car, for instance. That’s Mrs. Green’s grandson
’s, Eddy. He’s studying engineering at Washington University.”
For the first time since he’d taken that phone call outside the library, Diego looked directly at her. Jade shivered a little. It wasn’t that she’d forgotten how intense his gaze was. Not really. But a few hours in his company without feeling it had a way of making a girl think she could handle it.
Silly girl.
“I need to go over my notes,” he said, still studying her face as if he was weighing something.
“Ah, well, I guess playtime’s over then.” Despite her cheery smile and light words, Jade’s shoulders sank. Sure, he’d spent the last few hours holding her at arm’s length, as if afraid one touch, one look, would be all the invitation she needed to straddle his body and demand he finish that kiss. But she’d still had fun.
It’d been exciting to help out, and fascinating to watch him work. The way he led the discussions, asking questions in such roundabout ways she didn’t think most people had a clue how much information they’d given him. Even she, who’d lived here all her life, had found out a few new tidbits today.
She’d also had some seriously delicious fudge, a hot toddy, three cookies and had gotten a new recipe for double-butter pound cake.
Even more exciting, she’d been asked to help two women find the perfect outfits for their Christmas parties, been recruited to do a styling workshop on dressing right for New Year’s Eve and had been advised that she talked about sex too much.
Diego had choked on his cookie at the last one, she remembered with a grin.
Maybe she hadn’t gotten any closer to him, as she’d hoped. And perhaps the adventurous, self-sufficient vibe he radiated hadn’t rubbed off on her, as she’d wished. But it’d been a fun experience, and hey, an afternoon with a hot, sexy guy was never a bad thing.
Focus on the positive, she always told herself. Even if it didn’t include another taste of the most tempting mouth she’d ever felt against hers.
So, forcing her chin up and her smile wider, she tilted her head to one side and said, “This was fun. And even though it still seems like a pointless crime, I hope I was able to help.” All that in a single breath. Not bad. She inhaled slowly, preparing to force the goodbye past her lips next. Before she could, he tilted his head toward the other end of the street.
“I need to make sure I’ve got all my facts straight. Let’s go to the diner,” he suggested. “I’ll buy you a cup of coffee and you can make sure I didn’t miss anything.”
A date? He probably didn’t see it that way. Still, Jade’s tummy danced in anticipation. Then the clock in the tall spear of the town hall caught her eye.
“The diner’s closed,” she said.
“It’s only four.”
“Holiday hours,” Jade said with a shrug, her mind racing with possibilities. Despite her nerves—she’d never asked a guy out before—she blurted out, “But I have coffee at my place. We can go back there. You wanted to see the crime scene again anyway, didn’t you?”
There you go, a subtle invitation into her bedroom and one she could totally deny if he freaked.
And if he didn’t? Well, she’d just have to strip naked before he saw her ugly underwear.
* * *
IT TOOK CAREFUL SKILL to walk that thin line between instincts, cravings and pure stupidity. Diego told himself his toes were still firmly balanced.
Of course, anytime he looked at Jade, took in her sexy bod and gorgeous smile, the balance teetered. So much for that myth about long poles adding stability.
Diego sighed, torn between tying things up and taking a break to get his brain straight.
After his useless round of interviews that morning, he’d figured this case was pure crap. After his much more insightful, informative and productive—thanks to Jade—round of interviews this afternoon, he was still sure this case was pure crap.
At least, intellectually he was sure.
But his gut was saying something different. Instinct screamed loud enough to drown out his desperate need to get out of this Podunk town and back to the faceless, nameless anonymity of a big city.
And Jade was the key.
She’d sparked something when she’d mentioned all the strangers in town. Now he needed to get more information from her, but without tipping her off. Until he figured out what it was his gut was sensing, he’d be keeping his instinct’s tingles all to himself.
And, he warned his itching fingers, his hands. No touching the sexy blonde. No feeling the curve of her ass to see if it was as tight and smooth as it looked. No weighing the feel of her full breast against his palm to see how it fit.
His body hummed at the image. He shifted, trying to shake off the sensual spell the afternoon with Jade had cast over him.
The sooner he solved this case, the sooner he could get the hell out of here. Back to real life, to his shiny new promotion and yet another new start. The idea fell like a ball of lead in his belly, a dull and lonely ache. Too many Christmas cookies, he told himself.
To solve the case, he needed to toe Kinnison’s line, which meant following Applebaum’s directive to use Jade’s help. Since Diego’s own gut agreed, he figured that was three against one.
“Sure,” Diego finally agreed, realizing he’d been standing there like a moonstruck idiot long enough. “Coffee and another look at the crime scene sound good.”
And wasn’t he the big brave cop, heading off to Temptation Central. But hey, he was armed. He could handle a tiny little blonde with a smart mouth. Just as long as she kept her lingerie hidden away.
8
DIEGO SAT in Jade’s kitchen, staring across the table at the soft, furry features of Jade’s cat, wondering what was wrong with the people in this town. Once they’d loosened up and quit seeing him as an outsider whose face needed to meet their closed door, they’d all had similar warnings to offer.
Watch out. Caution. Dire consequences.
And all because of this sweet kitty?
“Why is everyone so freaked about your cat?” he asked, glancing over from the lush, long-haired feline perched on the opposite chair toward Jade. “It’s like they’ve all got different opinions on the correct color of lights to string from a house, whether a tree should be green, white, aluminum or fake, and who makes the best cookies. But the fact that the panty thefts are a joke and your cat is pure evil seem to hit a total consensus.”
“Well, you have to admit, it’s hard to take the thefts too seriously,” she said over the sound of water running into a coffeepot. “And are they technically thefts if the panties are always returned?”
“They’re usually being left in weird places, on display and used to mock their owners.”
“Mock is a pretty harsh word.” She pulled the coffeemaker away from the wall to pour in the water.
“There was a pair of black lace panties big enough for three toddlers to play in with the words Do Me on the ass hanging from the blow-up reindeer in front of the post office this morning,” he reminded her. How was that a joke? Did this town have no sense of privacy? No secrets at all? Not even who wore what style underwear in what size? He’d always thought sizes were like their real weight and age to women, closely guarded secrets.
“I’m not saying it wasn’t a little disturbing to find out that Mrs. Kostelec has the same panties that I do. But the whole thing seems more like a joke than a crime to me,” Jade admitted, taking a bag of coffee beans from the fridge and pulling a grinder out of a drawer. Diego was busy reveling in the addictively rich scent of the grinding coffee, so it took a few extra seconds for her words to sink in.
“You’re kidding, right?” he asked, not sure if he was amused or horrified. His gaze dropped to Jade’s ass, covered way too much in that big black shirt. Did her panties have an invitation written in glitter, too? His mouth watered. Maybe there was somethi
ng to be said for following directions.
“Nope, I really was disturbed,” she confessed. After flicking the on switch, she glanced back. She frowned at his impatient look, then gave an edgy sort of shrug. “Look, I know it’s serious, even if most people aren’t taking it that way. I saw the mess in my bedroom. It was all I could do last night not to run over to my mother’s instead of sleeping in my own bed.”
The look on her face, nerves and just a hint of the fear he’d seen the day before when she’d walked into her bedroom, made him feel even worse.
“I know it’s serious. But if I think about it too much, I’m scared,” she told him quietly. “It’s easier to trust that you’re going to catch this guy, that you’re really good at what you do and to believe I don’t need to worry.”
He grimaced at the anxious look in her eyes. Wanting to make her feel better, he promised, “While I’m on the job, nobody’s going to hurt you. Or your underwear. I promise.”
What was wrong with him? He didn’t do promises. But the way her face lit up made him feel pretty damn good. She gave him a smile that made him feel like a superhero, then followed it up with a teasing wink.
“So the rumors are true, hmm? I heard you’re quite the hotshot.” As she spoke, she stretched on tiptoe to get two large red mugs off the shelf overhead. Diego shifted as if to help her, then seeing her fingers hook the ceramic handles, he settled back in the chair to continue enjoying the view.
“I thought the rumor was that I was a crappy cop who was sent here as punishment.” The idea of people thinking he sucked at his job and the reality of being sent to Podunk, Nowhere, both grated on his ego in equal measure.
“One of the many joys of small towns. We wear the same underwear styles and the gossip changes with the direction of the wind,” she said, giving him a teasing look over her shoulder as she poured the freshly brewed coffee into the mugs. “Word that the mayor has been bragging about your arrest record and police skills is spreading fast. He really likes you.”