by Candis Terry
He wanted her.
Alone and naked.
Alex chose that moment to come into the room with wet hair and an unusual air of reticence. Chelsea looked up at him from the sofa and smiled. James couldn’t help be amazed at the genuine smile Alex gave her just before his shoulders went back and his chin came up like he was some total badass.
James sighed. Suddenly the night ahead of them seemed like a long stretch of desert road.
Kelly sat next to James at the dinner table. She watched him study his little brother with his brows pulled together. She’d seen that look before and not just on him. It was either the wide-eyed disbelief of “I can’t believe you were dumb enough to say that” or the “Are you purposely trying to embarrass the crap out of me?” grimace. Her own brother had perfected those distinct facial expressions back in the day, when he’d brought home a date and had been forced to sit at the dinner table with her and Kate. As Dean’s pesky little sisters, they had felt it their duty to humiliate him as much and as often as possible. The same as Alex was doing to James now. It made Kelly feel right at home.
No question the younger Harley was a handful. But Kelly thought she saw something different in him than James perceived. While on duty, James made his arrests based on the available evidence or action. He locked them up, wrote up his report, then handed them over to the courts. On the other hand, she’d had the opportunity to sit across the table from those men and women who’d chosen crime as a profession. Who’d chosen to steal or kill or destroy their lives in numerous ways. Without conscience.
Alex Harley did not fit into that quotient.
Beyond the stubborn set of his chin, or the narrowed eyes, or the cocky grin, he had moments of humor and even a flash or two of sweetness. He cried out for attention—for someone to see past the wall he’d erected around his emotions. Though Kelly knew James meant well, she wasn’t sure he was adequately equipped to handle someone who was so much like himself. When he and Alex butted heads, it was like two alpha males battling for dominance.
Maybe she could help by adding that third and subtler point-of-view.
Maybe Chelsea Winkle tutoring Alex would help. Not just to give Alex someone to help with his school work, but to be a sounding board for his troubles. Chelsea was a good girl with a strong sense of who she was and who she wanted to be. She reminded Kelly a little of herself at that age. But Kelly honestly hoped Chelsea wouldn’t take it to the extremes that she had. No one deserved to close themselves off from life that much.
Still, she didn’t think Chelsea should be alone with Alex giving those tutoring lessons he now seemed so eager about. Chelsea was an adorable girl-next-door with blond hair and bright blue eyes. Alex obviously had logged many more miles on his experience meter. Not to mention he could be a smooth talker just like his big brother when he wanted to be. A chaperone would definitely be in order.
With the dinner plates cleared and Chelsea describing the volunteer work she did at the Sunny Bridge Nursing Home where Emma’s grandmother lived, beneath the table James reached for Kelly’s hand. His calloused thumb softly stroked her palm, and her body responded with a flush of tingles across her breasts. She watched him as he listened intently to Chelsea speak. His eyes may have been focused on the kids across the table, but the electricity humming through his touch told Kelly where his thoughts were really fixated.
As his dark brows pulled together over those understanding eyes and a smile tugged at the corners of his sensuous mouth, Kelly studied him. There was a side of him that thrived on a sense of danger and adventure, and a whole other side of him that seemed weighted down with seriousness and responsibility. When he made love, he brought both sides together in an explosion of sensuality.
He tickled her palm, and she hummed a small laugh.
He turned his head, his dark eyes smiling. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I—”
“Can you excuse us for just a minute,” he said to Chelsea and Alex as he stood and pushed away his chair with the backs of his legs. Then he pointed to Alex. “You, do not move until I come back.”
Alex grinned. “Yeah, whatever.”
James held his hand out to Kelly then led her to the front porch. They’d barely cleared the door when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She went willingly with a sigh. The kiss began with an edge of desperation then slowly changed to something soft and sweet. Within a heartbeat, she found herself wishing for things that may never be. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t wish for them anyway.
James lifted his mouth from hers and looked down into her eyes with the smile that never failed to send a surge of anticipation fluttering through her stomach.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for two days,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear with his long fingers.
“Mmmm. I’ve been wanting you to do that for two days.”
He glanced toward the front door. “I wish things were different. That I didn’t have so many—”
“Responsibilities?”
“Yeah.”
She laid her hand against the side of his face, trailed her fingers down his cheek. “No one understands that more than I do. You know in your heart you’re doing the right thing.”
“Sometimes the right thing isn’t always easy to recognize.”
Though he wasn’t speaking about her, she felt the impact of his words just the same. She’d always tried to do the right thing. For everybody else. So much so that she had lost what was the right thing for herself. “And sometimes doing the right thing can be very complicated.”
His gaze swept over her face. “Are you talking about Chicago?”
She nodded.
“Are you going back?” His words sounded constricted.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I recused myself from the case I was working on before I left. They needed me back to start the jury selection, and I . . . just wasn’t ready to go back. My dad wants to retire, and I promised Kate I’d help her out at the bakery until she could figure out what to do. That’s what I was doing the other night when you came in. I came up with something new for the menu, and I was trying it out before—”
“It ended up all over us?” His smile brought back tingly memories.
“I’m making seasonal fudge. We’re calling it I Got Fudged . . . at the Sugar Shack.”
“How appropriate.”
She laughed.
The smile slipped from his lips, and he studied her face as though branding it in his mind.
She lifted her hand and lightly touched the lock of hair dipping over his forehead. “What?”
“Stay.”
“I don’t think we would be setting a good example for Alex.”
“I don’t mean the night. Although I want that more than just about anything.” He leaned his forehead against hers and his arms surrounded her with warmth. “I mean stay here. In Deer Lick. Don’t go back to Chicago.”
Kelly inhaled a surprised breath.
He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Once. Twice. “Stay,” he said. Then he drew her in close to his heart and whispered, “With me.”
With James’s request still pounding in her heart, Kelly pulled the Buick into Chelsea’s driveway and waited while the teen gathered up her belongings. Chelsea paused with one foot out the door and gazed through the windshield with her blond brows tipped together.
“What is it?” Kelly asked, turning down the radio.
Chelsea shifted in her seat and looked at Kelly across the darkened interior of the car. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What do you think of Alex?”
“Alex?” Kelly inhaled a slow breath, something she’d taught herself to do to clear her mind before she approached the witness stand. “I’m probably not the most experienced person with guy stuff. You know? I’ve pretty much been stuck behind a desk or in a courtroom for the past—”
“But you’re a lawyer. So that ma
kes you a good judge of character. Right?”
The sincerity in Chelsea’s blue eyes made Kelly realize she needed to treat the teen as an equal, not as a child. And she needed to do it with honesty. “Not necessarily.”
Chelsea blew out a sigh that ruffled her blond bangs. “Woman to woman, then. What are your thoughts?”
“All right.” Kelly pitied any man who thought he could pull one over on this young woman who was quickly coming into her own. “I think Alex is a complex person. I think the world sees exactly what he wants them to see.” Just like his big brother. “I think he pushes the envelope because he needs attention. But I think deep down inside that churlish devil-may-care exterior lays the heart and soul of a really good guy. I just think it may take a pickax to find him.”
Chelsea scooted to the edge of the seat. “I kissed him.”
“What?”
“When you and James went outside. I leaned over and just . . . kissed him.”
“On the cheek?” Please say yes.
“His mouth.”
“Oh.” Kelly’s stomach tumbled. She and James were outside only a few minutes. Still . . . “What did he do?”
“Well, he didn’t kiss me back, I can tell you that.”
“He didn’t?”
Chelsea shook her head. “He smiled though. He smiled the whole time he was telling me what a nice girl I am and that he wouldn’t ever want to do anything to get me into trouble.”
Wow. Go Alex. “He did?” Kelly gave Chelsea a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Do you understand what he was saying?”
“That he’s not interested.”
“I’d say he’s very interested.”
Chelsea’s eyes grew as big as MoonPies. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Then why wouldn’t he kiss me back?”
“Because he obviously respects you. And I think he knows that if you had anything to do with him people might not look at you in such a favorable way.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“This is a really small town.” Kelly reached out and took Chelsea’s hand. “Everybody knows everything about everyone. And they all have an opinion. My sister Kate had a lot to live down because of the way she left here ten years ago. So maybe Alex is right.”
“But I really like him.”
“Then give him a chance to figure out who he really is. I think once he does, he’s going to be exactly the kind of man you want.”
A broad smile filled Chelsea’s All-American face. “I can wait for that.”
“Good.” Kelly wrinkled her nose. “Then how about you go on about your life? Your plans. If things are meant to be, it will happen. Look at Matt and Kate. They found each other after ten long years apart.”
“Yeah.” Chelsea laughed. “Those two are crazy about each other.”
“They were meant to be.”
With an exuberant hug, Chelsea said, “Thank you. You’re a really good friend.”
Kelly hugged her back. She waved as Chelsea shut the car door and ran up onto her front porch. She waited until the girl was safely inside the house before she put the Buick in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Then she turned the radio back up and sang along with Taylor Swift’s “Our Song.”
Half a mile down the road, Tom Jones took over the airwaves and a nuclear glow and blast of cold air radiated from the backseat.
“Bravo, daughter.”
“Hey, Mom.” Wow. How oddly casual did that sound for someone talking to a ghost? “Where’ve you been?”
“In the doghouse.”
“Why?”
“Apparently you’re not supposed to just come and go as you please. They’ve got rules.”
Kelly looked up into the rearview mirror. “Seriously?”
“I just got out of trouble and now I’m back in again.”
“Mom. That is so unlike you.”
“Right.” Her mother chuckled. “But I took a risk that I wouldn’t get the feathers plucked from my wings to come see you.”
“You’ve got wings?” Kelly pulled to the curb, slammed on the brakes, and turned around. “Where?”
“Figure of speech.” A smile tilted her mother’s lips.
“Oh.” Darn it. Kelly really wanted to see some wings.
“I heard the advice you were giving our young Chelsea. Such a nice girl. And I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am.”
“What was I supposed to tell her? That Alex Harley could be the next Night Stalker so she better keep her distance?”
“It wasn’t necessarily what you told her, darling daughter. It was your insight on young Alex Harley.”
Kelly sighed. “I don’t think he’s misunderstood. I just think—”
“He’s a lost boy?”
“Yeah.”
“Just like James.”
“James is hardly a boy, Mom.”
“Indeed. He’s grown to be quite the man. But he’s lost all the same.” Her mother’s sigh whispered through the interior of the car. “Kind of like you.”
Though Kelly hated to admit it, lost was exactly how she’d felt for a long time. The only time she didn’t feel lost was when she was wrapped in James’s arms.
“Maybe you two can find each other,” her mother said. “Maybe you were meant to be just like Kate and Matt or Dean and Emma.
Meant to be. Kelly’s heart gave a hard thump against her ribs. He’d said he wanted her to stay. With him. That certainly changed things, didn’t it?
“Sometimes,” her mother continued, “when you dole out the advice, you’ve got to be willing to heed it as well. And sometimes you might just think that if you have an understanding heart and a willing ear, you may be in the wrong business.”
“Gee, that’s hardly cryptic at all.”
Her mother hooted a laugh. “Well, if I just sat you down like I did when you were a kid, you probably wouldn’t listen to me. Being that I ignored you and all.”
“I’m sorry I said that.”
“You were just being honest. And that’s okay. But think about what I said, would you? And by the way, congratulations on kicking Sister Serious to the curb.”
Whoa. “Mom! How much do you follow us around?”
“I was talking about your alter ego, Sprinkles.”
Whew! “Oh. Thanks. It was pretty fun entertaining the children the other day.”
“You did good. Love the purple hat.” Her mother’s gaze rolled skyward. “Oops. Gotta go.”
“When will you be back?”
“Don’t know with the doghouse thing and all. In the meantime . . . clean those chocolate handprints off the bakery wall, will ya?” In an instant her glow fizzled to a spark and Kelly found herself staring at an empty seat.
Crap.
Kelly turned around and shoved the gearshift into Drive. It was hell living in a small town where secrets weren’t safe. Even from the dead.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A loud noise jarred Kelly awake. She sat up and shifted the clock radio on the nightstand by the bed.
Two o’clock.
A surge of panic raced through her heart. Had something happened to someone? She grabbed her cell phone and looked to see if she’d missed a call or a text, but there were no messages.
At her feet, Lucky, her brother’s kitten, opened one blue eye as if to say, “Lie down and go back to sleep, dummy.” When the noise happened again, Kelly recognized it as a knock on the front door. Apologizing to the cat, she rolled out of bed and threw on a silk kimono over her sleep shorts and tank top. She ran down the stairs and reached the door just as another knock echoed through the large house. On tip-toe she peeked through the peephole and was surprised to see a shiny deputy’s badge winking back.
She unlatched the deadbolt and opened the door. “James. What are—”
Her words ended as he dragged her into his arms and claimed her with a hot, urgent kiss. He tasted sweet like peppermint, intoxicating like wine. Their breaths mingled as he slid hi
s hands through her hair and cupped her head. The kiss turned into a wild feeding of need and greed. Their tongues mated and danced. The rhythm of the kiss flowed into their bodies. Her pulse throbbed in her throat as she melted into his body and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Breathless, he murmured, “I missed you,” and a thrill shot up her spine.
He kicked the door closed behind them and backed her into the living room. The backs of her thighs met with the arm of the leather sofa. Then his eager hands were everywhere, touching her, feeling her, exciting her. He pushed the kimono from her shoulders while her fingers fumbled to unbutton his uniform shirt. She pushed the khaki off his broad shoulders and spread her hands across the light golden hair on his chest. God, she wanted to lick him all over, taste the saltiness of his skin. But he was on a mission, and she was happily along for the tour.
His tongue swept her mouth as he caught his thumbs in the elastic of her sleep shorts and yanked them down her legs. She kicked them free. The tension and anticipation inside her pulled in every direction until she was mindless with need. Oblivious to anything except him, his warm scent and tight, hard body.
He eased the pressure on their mouths and lowered his head to her breast. Through the thin cotton he gently sucked her nipple into his mouth. Her body reacted with an intense flash of need. She speared her fingers through his hair and tightened her hold when the suction of his mouth on her breast became almost too stimulating to bear. His hand moved between their bodies, and he touched her between her legs. Slid his fingers into her slickened flesh and gently stroked her. A moan rumbled from her throat.
He lifted his head as his fingers propelled her toward utter madness. “I’ve been thinking about touching you all night. Wanting you,” he whispered, his voice husky with desire. His tongue swept across her bottom lip and a hot shudder rippled from her heart to her core. “Do you want me?”
“Yes,” she said on a long sigh. “I want you.” She reached for his belt, unbuckled it, and unzipped his pants. She pushed them down his long powerful legs, then she reached inside his boxer briefs and wrapped her hand around his thick erection. In her palm he throbbed and the breath pushed from his lungs. A deep groan rumbled from his chest, and his long fingers swept down to hold her hair back away from her face.