Not Without Her Family

by Beth Andrews

  “Before I leave, Allie perhaps you’d like to comment about your brother’s problems in handling this case.”

  Allie stiffened. “Jack isn’t having any problems—”

  “Isn’t he?” Dora’s smug smile made the back of Kelsey’s neck prickle. “City council has called an emergency meeting to take place as soon as possible.”

  “So?”

  “Some of the council members feel your brother has bungled this investigation. And, since there have been rumors of impropriety on the chief’s part, the council wants him to resign.”

  Kelsey felt sick. They were going to ask Jack to quit if he didn’t arrest Dillon?

  “Jack hasn’t done anything wrong,” Allie snapped. “Certainly nothing that would endanger his job.”

  “Hasn’t he?” Dora asked, her gaze shifting to Kelsey. “As I said, the council’s asking for his resignation. If they don’t get it, they plan on asking the mayor to fire him.”

  JACK ZIPPED HIS JEANS as he hurried through the dark hallway to the kitchen. He flicked the back light on, unlocked the door and yanked it open.

  “Kelsey?” He squeezed his eyes shut, but when he opened them again, she still stood on his deck, rain plastering her hair to her head. “Is something wrong? Are you hurt?”“Could I come in?” she asked.

  He opened the door wider to let her by and was immediately sprayed with freezing, blowing rain. Gooseflesh rose on his arms and chest and he wished he’d taken the time to put a shirt on.

  He shut the door behind her. “Are you all right? Were you in an accident?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He stepped forward. “Allie?”

  “No. She’s good. Everyone’s okay.” She pulled the strap of her purse higher up on her shoulder and pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. “Is it true you’re going to arrest Dillon?”

  His jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Just answer the question, Jack.”

  “It’s two-thirty in the morning.”

  Not only was it past the middle of the night, but it was also miserable out—windy and raining with temperatures barely above freezing. Which Kelsey could obviously attest to seeing as how she was soaked through. Water dripped from her hair and ran down her ashen face. Her lips were pale, her teeth were chattering and she was starting to shiver.

  He rolled his eyes. He would never understand women.

  “Yes or no,” she said. “It’s as simple—”

  “Shh.” He glanced through the doorway toward the stairs. Emma was usually a sound sleeper, had been dead to the world when he’d peeked in on her before coming downstairs, but he didn’t want to chance waking her up. “Come on.”

  He wrapped his hand around Kelsey’s upper arm. The material of her jacket was soggy and cold under his fingers. Surprised she willingly—and silently—followed him to the laundry room, he was able to flip on the overhead light and shut the door before she spoke again.

  “You can’t arrest Dillon. You have no evidence.”

  He wiped his hand down the side of his jeans and noticed a puddle forming on the tile floor beneath her. “Take your jacket off.”

  She opened her mouth. Shut it and frowned. “What?”

  “You’re soaked. Take it off.”

  She set her purse on the shelf behind her. While she struggled with the wet jacket, Jack reached into the dryer.

  He tossed her a towel, which she caught with her free hand. She dropped her jacket onto the floor and rubbed the towel over her hair. The smell of her shampoo hit him like a right jab.

  He watched as she gently mopped the moisture off her face before tipping her head back and patting her throat dry. Her wet jeans molded themselves to her long legs and slim hips and her bra and hard nipples were clearly outlined through her damp shirt.

  God help him, he couldn’t stop himself from ogling her like she was a contestant in a wet T-shirt contest and he was the final judge.

  He forced his gaze up to her face and froze. She was staring at him, as intently as he’d been staring at her. Her gaze roamed over his bare shoulders and chest, down his torso to the unsnapped button of his jeans.

  Her teeth sank into her luscious lower lip and Jack bit back a groan. Or maybe he didn’t, because suddenly she raised her head and met his eyes. The narrow room—cramped with a washing machine and dryer along one wall, and floor-to-ceiling shelves and a built-in counter on the opposite side—seemed to shrink.

  Jack clenched his teeth and shoved his hands into his pockets. Leaned back against the washing machine.

  “Why did you go around back?” he asked. The porch’s roof would’ve provided a bit of shelter from the pouring rain.

  She looked away. “I didn’t want anyone to see me.”

  “Because?”

  “Because…that Dora person—”

  “Dora Wilkins?” He straightened. “The reporter?”

  “Yeah. She came into the bar tonight.” Kelsey twisted the towel in her hands. “She said there was some new evidence and—”

  “There is no new evidence.” Forever championing her brother. “Dora was messing with you. Trying to get a reaction. Shannon’s murder is still under full investigation.”

  “So, you’re not going to arrest Dillon?”

  There was a loaded question if he’d ever heard one. “I’m not going to arrest anyone. Yet.” Relief filled her eyes and, not for the first time, he hoped her faith in her brother wasn’t wasted. “I’m not going to lie to you, Ward is still a suspect.”

  “No,” she said thoughtfully, “you wouldn’t lie.” She stepped toward him and damn if that washer wasn’t right behind him, he would’ve backed up. “But will you still do what’s right? No matter what?”

  He took the mangled towel from her hands and tossed it on a pile of dirty clothes. “I’ll do my job, honestly and fairly.”

  “You might not get the chance. The city council is calling some special meeting. They’re going to ask for your resignation, Jack.”

  He slapped the top of the washing machine. “They won’t get it.”

  “Then they’ll fire you. Or get the mayor to do it.”

  “She can’t. Not on her own,” he amended. He rubbed the back of his neck. Damn, what a disaster. “Besides the mayor’s agreement, they need a two-thirds majority vote from council to terminate my contract.”

  “What if that happens?”

  “It won’t.” While Mark Crandall—and Jack had no doubt Mark was the one behind all of this—had enough influence to call an unscheduled meeting, he didn’t have enough backing on the council to fire Jack.

  “What if it does?” Kelsey insisted. “Are you going to cave under the pressure and throw my brother to the wolves to save your own skin?”

  His head snapped back as if she’d sucker punched him. “Do you really think so little of me?”

  “I’m sorry, okay?” she said and grabbed his arm when he would’ve turned away. “I’m just…the reporter freaked me out. I know she meant to and it pisses me off that it worked, but I can’t help it.” She raised her hand beseechingly. “Look, I know you’re a good cop, an honest one. I’m just not…used to trusting anyone. This is new territory for me.”

  Jack wanted to hang on to his anger—damn it, he had a right to be angry and to stay that way. But as he looked at Kelsey, saw the vulnerability in her eyes, saw the open honesty on her face, he felt his anger melting away.

  He sighed. He was such a sap. “When I give my word, I keep it. You can count on that.”

  “I want to,” she admitted quietly as she laid a hand on his chest. His heart skipped a beat under her fingers. “It scares me how much I want to believe you, to count on you.”

  He cleared his throat and stepped back so that her fingers trailed a path of heat down his torso as her hand slid away. “Why don’t you finish drying off? I’ll go upstairs and grab you some dry clothes, then we can—”

  Talk.

  Except he never got that last word out. He could
n’t. Not with Kelsey’s lips on his.

  She’d lunged at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and fused her mouth to his. The force of her movement knocked him back against the washing machine with a soft thud.

  Her lips were soft and cold, but warming quickly thanks to their frenzied movement over his. Her tongue swept into his mouth, shy at first, then growing bolder. She smelled like rain and cold mountain air, and God help him, he couldn’t resist her. He plunged his hands in her wet hair while he angled his head to take control of the kiss, to take it deeper.

  He could hardly believe this was happening.

  Wait a minute…was this happening?

  Kelsey felt real enough in his arms, though quite a bit colder and damper than in his dreams. The most recent being fifteen minutes ago when her pounding on the door had awakened him.

  Maybe that’s why he laid his hands on her shoulders and set her away from him. Because he was having a hard time separating fact from fantasy. Because, for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Kelsey would suddenly throw herself at him.

  Because he was a complete idiot.

  “Hold on,” Jack managed to say when she attempted to kiss him again. “What’s going on here?”

  “Well, if it isn’t obvious, then I’m not doing it right.”

  Her voice was a low, husky purr.

  “If you did it any righter, I’d embarrass myself.”

  She smiled up at him. “So what’s the problem?”

  The problem was she was caressing his chest, her fingertips stroking over his nipples, her fingernails scraping his skin, making it difficult for him to gather his thoughts. He reached down, grabbed her wrists and held her hands away from his body. “Why the change of heart, Kelsey? A few days ago, you didn’t want this.”

  Her fingers curled. “I did want it,” she said hesitantly, “I just wasn’t sure it was the best thing for either of us.”

  “And now?”

  She exhaled heavily. “Now I’m more certain than ever that us getting together is a mistake. But I don’t care.” She lifted her chin, her eyes dark and steady on his. “I want to be with you, Jack.”

  DIDN’T HE WANT HER? She’d just bared her heart to him, as much as she was able, yet he still held her at arm’s length. Literally.

  Well, seeing as how she’d already gone this far, she might as well go for broke. She rose up and settled her mouth on his. Again she tasted his surprise, his resistance. She wanted him to return her kiss, to touch her, to want her like he had the other day.She needed him. Now. Right now. Needed to have something real and honorable in her life, just this once. If he turned her away, she might never get another opportunity.

  She put her heart and soul into the kiss, everything she couldn’t say, hoping he’d understand what she wanted, what she needed. He dropped his hold of her, his hands going to her waist. His fingers bit into her hips. She touched him, ran her hands over his smooth, taut skin, thrilled to know she could cause his muscles to flex and bunch with a simple touch.

  With a low, guttural groan, Jack took over the kiss—and surrendered his resistance. He lifted her and turned so that her back pressed against the washing machine. She wrapped her legs around his hips.

  One hand at her neck, he nudged her head back as he ran his lips across her jawbone and down her exposed throat. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, across his upper back while he placed hot, wet, openmouthed kisses on her neck. He nipped at her pulse and she caught her breath then released it on a raspy moan when he soothed the sting with his tongue.

  Jack eased back enough to draw her shirt up under her arms. With a quick flick, he undid her bra, spread the cups aside and lowered his head.

  His mouth was hot against her cool skin, the way he licked and suckled her sensitive breasts incredibly arousing. She slid her hands into his hair as if to hold him there, right there, so he couldn’t stop his sweet torture. Her need for him grew, expanded until she was afraid it would completely take over. Take over her mind. Her senses. Her control.

  And her heart.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. No, she couldn’t allow this…longing for Jack to mean anything. It was sex. Pure, simple, basic. And all someone like her had the right to expect from a man as good and decent as him.

  She reached between them, found the tab of his zipper and tugged it down.

  He suddenly stepped back. “Kelsey, maybe we should slow down.”

  He wasn’t going to stop them. Not after she’d convinced herself she could share her body with him and keep her heart separate.

  “You think so?” she asked lowly as she slid her hand inside his briefs and cupped him. “I kind of like this speed.”

  He shut his eyes and hissed out a breath between his teeth. Kelsey wrapped her hand around him. He was hot and hard and obviously no more interested in stopping than she was.

  She stroked him, learning his shape and length, the weight of him. “I don’t want to slow down,” she told him as she stared into his eyes. “I don’t want to wonder if this is a mistake or worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow. I just want to feel you inside of me. Now.”

  His eyes smoldered and then he was kissing her again as he worked to pull her wet jeans down her legs. When her pants and panties were around her ankles, he slid a knee between her legs and eased her thighs apart.

  With his tongue stroking inside her mouth, he waited at her entrance. Her body instinctively rocked toward him, his heat, his hardness. He began to slide inside her when she slapped her hands against his chest and pulled her head back.

  “Wait,” she gasped. “Condom.”

  Jack swore. His body shook and sweat beaded on his upper lip. And though she tried to fight it, Kelsey’s heart melted that he’d not only stopped when she’d asked him, but at the effort it took him to restrain himself.

  “Upstairs,” he ground out.

  “No.” She reached behind him, grabbed her purse and dug through it. When she found what she was looking for, she dropped the purse onto the floor and held her hand up so Jack could see the square, foil packet.

  He kissed her, a slow and sweet I’m-so-damn-happy-you’re-prepared kiss. He took the condom from her, ripped it open and covered himself. With his eyes, dark and intense, on hers, he entered her in one smooth stroke.

  Having Jack moving inside her was so much more than she’d dreamed. It wasn’t just good, wasn’t just right. It felt…complete. Made her feel complete.

  Startled at her own thoughts, at her reaction to what was supposed to have been just sex—what she needed to be just sex—she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Look at me,” Jack demanded in a low murmur, cupping her face in both hands. She shook her head, but when he withdrew from her almost completely, her eyes opened on their own accord. “That’s right. Just keep looking at me.”

  He pushed back into her slowly. With each deliberate thrust, tension grew and coiled inside her until she wanted release more than she wanted her next breath. Rising onto her toes, she gripped his shoulders and moved her hips in an attempt to somehow get closer to him, to ease the ache between her legs.

  Her fingers dug into his flesh. Breathy, short moans escaped her. Jack grabbed her hips and drove into her faster and faster, left her gasping. Had her spiraling toward climax. She cried out hoarsely as she came, her body shaking from the power of her orgasm. As she trembled with delicious aftershocks, she was vaguely aware of Jack shuddering with his own release.

  He withdrew from her and she fell back against the machine. He rested his forehead against hers, his breathing still fast and choppy. The room smelled like rain, sweat and sex. She inhaled deeply, trying to chisel this experience—the smell, taste and especially the feel of Jack—into her memory.

  He lifted his head and his smile warmed her. Made her panic. “Wow,” she blurted, “me coming over here worked out better than I thought.”

  Jack cursed softly, pushed away and turned his back to her as he yanked up his pants.

&n
bsp; Frowning, she readjusted her bra and shirt and pulled on her panties. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” He clenched his hands at his sides. “Except we just had sex while my daughter’s sleeping upstairs.”

  She blanched. Jeez, she hadn’t thought about the little girl. She glanced at the door, relieved to find it still firmly shut. Thank God she didn’t have to add corrupting impressionable kids to her long list of sins.

  “Did you plan this?”

  She jerked her gaze back to Jack. “What?”

  “Was this—” he gestured between them “—a setup? A way for you to gain leverage over me?” His eyes were like chips of blue ice, his voice as frigid as the wind outside.

  Tears clogged her throat. Not again. She viciously swallowed them back. God, she was such an idiot, she thought savagely as she attempted to wrestle back into her jeans. So stupid. For a moment she’d actually thought what they’d just shared had been special. That it had meant something.

  She’d just made yet another impulsive, asinine mistake. Dillon had been right about her. She really hadn’t changed and probably never would.

  She wrenched her jeans over her hips and fastened them. Without looking Jack’s way, she snatched her jacket off the floor and opened the door.

  “Hold on a minute.” He grabbed her by the arm and spun her to face him.

  She yanked her arm free. “I have nothing to say. You have it all figured out.”

  “What am I supposed to think? You’re the one who told me you’d do anything for your brother.”

  “That’s right, I did. But what happened here just now wasn’t one-sided. You weren’t exactly fighting me off. And remember, you’re the one who said once would get me out of your system.” She hated, hated, that her voice shook. That her heart was breaking. “I hope like hell it worked.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  JACK WALKED INTO THE SUMMIT the next morning and knew his day had gone from bad to complete and utter hell.

  “I’ve had it with small-town cops,” Kelsey warned Ben Michaels as she stood between him and her brother. “Small-minded, small-town cops in particular. So, I suggest you go on your merry way.” She waved the pool cue she held like a club. “Unless you want a real stick shoved up your—”“Is there a problem here, Michaels?” Jack asked in a fairly impassive tone.