He stepped out of his slacks and kicked them aside. The sharp tent of his arousal inside his briefs urged her to caress her clit more vigorously, to allow the orgasm to take her. With a quick jerk, Rick lowered his briefs. The plump, glistening head sprang free to taunt her. She smiled knowing her actions had made him want her. Slowly he walked to the cot, climbed on top on his knees so that his penis jutted proudly between his legs. He moved the tip closer and closer to her opening until the head nudged gently inside her . . .
“Anybody home?”
Delaney’s eyes popped open at the sound of Mark Griffin’s voice. Adrenalin pumped through her aroused body. Panting, she sprang from the cot and shrugged into her panties. The fluid still clinging to her body dampened the crotch, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Her breasts tingled; her skin felt tight and unfulfilled sexual need pounded through her. As she pulled on her jeans in record time, Delaney glanced up at the window above the cot. Snowflakes tapped against the pane. She tried desperately to think of snow and icy wind in an attempt to cool her body’s erotic pique, but the fantasy of having Rick naked on his knees ready to push inside her filled her mind instead. Delaney shook her head to clear the vision. Footsteps moved in her direction. “I’ll be with you a second.”
Mark’s footsteps halted. “Okay, take your time.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled at his choice of words. She had definitely been taking her time enjoying every minute of her hot, carnal illusion. Realizing her fingers were still damp, she wiped them against her jean covered thigh.
Quickly, she brushed her hair and applied some lip gloss before heading toward Rick’s office. Pasting a smile on her face she stepped inside. “Hi Mark. Sorry, but Rick isn’t here.”
He turned from where he stood facing the window. His face was flushed from the cold and snowflakes were scattered over his heavy jacket and knitted cap. “Actually I wasn’t here to see Rick. I’m here to see you.” He took off his coat and hat and flung them on a bench which sat beneath the window.
“Oh, okay.” She walked to one of the chairs in front of Rick’s desk and sat down.
Mark strolled over and perched on the edge of the desk. Once again he spilled the container of pens and pencils. He straightened them then turned his attention toward Delaney. A slight blush stained his cheeks. “Sorry.” He raked a hand through his curly hair then rested his palms on his thighs.
A frown creased his brow as he studied her. “Are you all right? You look kind of flushed.”
Damn her fair skin. Delaney forced a smile to hide her embarrassment. “I’m fine. I was...lying down.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I was reading and had started to nod off.” Yeah, right. She had nodded off into an intimate world of need. “What’s up?”
“I told my uncle about you.”
She raised her brows. “Your uncle?”
Mark smiled. “Yeah, he’s the mayor. He and the town council want to make some improvements in the look of Avery to make it more desirable to tourists.”
Delaney lifted her hands palms up. “What does that have to do with me?”
He cleared his throat. “Montana is sponsoring a state wide contest for the best Montana vacation destination. There are some hot springs and a hotel being built outside of town. I told my uncle about you being a window display designer and he was wondering if you could attend the council meeting tonight and offer suggestions in a couple of different ways. We need not only a window display set up at the mayor’s office but brochures as well. Food is brought in from the diner.” He paused for a moment. “What do you think?”
She hadn’t planned on staying longer than it took to get her car repaired. Linc had to order the part from Billings and he said it would take a day or two maybe longer. At least helping the town council would give her something to do with her time other than sit around and fantasize about Rick. “Sure, why not.”
Mark grinned. “Great, I--“
The sheriff’s office door swung open and an attractive woman walked in. “Hi.”
Mark jerked his head in the woman’s direction so fast Delaney imagined he nearly gave himself whiplash.
She was dressed in tight jeans, leather boots with a fur cuff around the top and a hooded, navy parka. The woman pushed back the hood and revealed, straight, red-gold chin length hair. Her eyes were bright green, her makeup perfectly applied.
The woman had former beauty queen written all over her. Delaney remembered her type from high school. Beauty queens shunned anyone who didn’t fawn over them, feed their ego with compliments and practically beg for membership in their sacred circle of admirers. These social empresses donned a glossy, but false pretense of friendship only for personal gain.
Delaney gave friendship and loyalty to her circle of friends without reservation down to the checker at the supermarket.
The empress glanced around the office with regal disdain.
Mark popped up from the desk and somehow got his foot caught on a leg of one of the chairs sitting in front of Rick’s desk. He teetered on his feet and started to fall.
Delaney jumped up from her chair and grabbed his upper arms to steady him. The chair crashed to the floor.
He glanced at the woman then back at Delaney, his face and neck turning red right down to the tops of his ears. “Thanks, I’m okay now,” he murmured.
Delaney let him go. He straightened smoothing down the front of his shirt with the palms of his hands. He turned toward the woman and looked at her as though she’d just floated down from heaven. “Hi, Lenore.”
The woman barely glanced at Mark. “Oh, hi, Mark.” She fixed her gaze on Delaney and gave her a quick once-over.
Slipping off her right glove, Lenore stepped forward until she stood directly in front of her. “You must be the stranded traveler Rick picked up last night.”
Her rapid scrutiny made Delaney feel like a slug. Word got around in a small town.
She held out her hand. “I’m Lenore Shaw. I own the local bed and breakfast.”
Delaney clasped her hand with a brief glance at the woman’s nails. They were perfect of course, just like the rest of her. No chipped polish or ragged cuticles. They looked as though they’d been pampered in a salon all day. “Nice to meet you. I’m Delaney Moore.” Suddenly Delaney noticed the traces of grease still lodged under her nails. Mortified, she dropped Lenore’s hand and held her own hands behind her back If only she’d had a nail brush to scrub them while she’d been in the shower. She made a mental note to pick one up at the drugstore.
Lenore gave her a cool smile. “I was hoping to see Rick.”
Typical frosty attitude for an empress.
Lenore brushed a stray tendril of hair away from her cheek. “Do you know where he is or when he might return?” Her voice was courteous but patronizing.
“I’m not sure exactly. He’s checking on some downed street signs and arranging repairs for a broken street light.”
She pursed her full lips, lifted her left hand and lightly slapped the glove she’d removed into the palm. “Hmm, that’s too bad. I can come back I suppose.”
Mark started to move toward Lenore and tripped on the chair still lying on its side on the floor. He looked at Lenore, his eyes widening marginally, then stooped and picked up the chair. He cleared his throat and threw her a sheepish smile then looked at Delaney. “Lenore is also Avery’s only reporter for the Gazette. She can probably help you design the brochures for the beautification project.”
A brief expression of discomfort swept over Lenore’s face. She glanced at Mark with a glint of irritation in her eyes then looked Delaney. “Is that why you’re here in Avery? To help beautify the town?”
Lenore’s emphasis on the word beautify crawled under Delaney’s skin like a piercing splinter. She said it with distinct mockery as though Delaney wouldn’t understand the meaning of the word. Delaney flicked an imaginary speck of lint from her sweater
to give herself time to sooth her irritation before turning her attention back to Lenore. “No, I got caught in the storm and my car needs to be repaired. Mark found out I’m a window display designer and the mayor asked if I’d attend the council meeting to offer any suggestions I might have.”
Mark stepped forward until he stood beside Lenore, gazing at her with a wistful expression on his face. “The meeting is tonight. I hope you can make it. I’m sure Uncle Benjamin and the council would like to hear your ideas as well.”
Poor Mark, Delaney thought. The man was toes over ears for Ms. Shaw and she could care less.
Lenore gave Mark the sort of smile a queen might bestow like a crust of bread on a peasant vying for her attention. She started pulling on her gloves. “Well actually I--”
The door to the sheriff’s office swung open and Rick walked in covered from head to toe in snowflakes. His gaze locked on Delaney for a millisecond, a gaze she felt to the center of her core before shifting to Lenore and Mark.
Lenore spun on her heels and beamed. “Rick, I’m so glad you got here before I left.” She practically strutted to his side and laid a gloved hand in the middle of his chest. Leaning slightly forward she bent her right leg, lifted her left foot off the floor and kissed him on the cheek.
For some ridiculous reason seeing her kiss Rick annoyed Delaney more that Lenore’s blatant sarcasm of a moment ago.
Rick cleared his throat. “Oh, hi, Lenore.” He shut the door at his back, stepped away from her and nodded at Mark. “Are you here to see me?”
“No, I came to see Delaney.” Even as Mark said the words he gazed at Lenore in admiration.
Rick walked to his desk, shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over the back of the chair. Raking both hands through his hair he sat down. Once again, his gaze found Delaney. Warmth spread over her skin.
Lenore strolled over to Rick sitting in the chair and laid a proprietary hand on his shoulder. She glanced at Delaney out of the corner of her eyes sending her a clear signal.
This man is mine so don’t get any ideas. Bitch.
Did Rick know that?
Lenore focused her attention on Rick. “I was wondering if you could come over for supper tonight. I’m making your favorite, beef stew with apple cobbler for dessert.”
The way she said dessert made Delaney think Lenore was hoping for a different kind of after dinner treat.
Rick casually leaned back in his chair subtly dislodging Lenore’s hand from his shoulder. He fixed his eyes on Delaney. “Delaney would be alone if I--“
“Not at all. I’m going to the town council meeting tonight. Mark tells me they always have food.” She shrugged even as her stomach churned with disturbing bewilderment.
Why should she care if Rick spent the evening with Lenore? So what if Rick had almost kissed her in the garage? Nearly locking lips didn’t mean anything. To hell it didn’t. “Go ahead and have dinner with Lenore. But first I was wondering if you could drive me around this afternoon so I can get a look at the town before the meeting tonight.” Delaney cut her gaze to Lenore whose green eyes speared her with jealousy. Delaney raised her right brow and smiled. Never underestimate the power of the working class, empress.
* * * *
Delaney had never wanted a man’s penis inside her more than she did at this moment. Together she and Rick tumbled onto the seat of his truck. They had both stripped off their clothes in a heated frenzy desperate to be skin to skin without any barriers. His mouth crushed hers in a kiss that stole her breath and ignited her blood. She moaned when he traced kisses over her jaw and down her neck to her bare, aroused breasts. Taking a nipple into his mouth he sucked hard sending ribbons of silky, hot need through her belly and into her clit. He grasped her calves, lifted her legs and locked them around his waist. Looming over her, his stiff cock rose between his legs ready to take her. “Now, Rick. Please!”
Pushing his hips forward he filled her to the hilt, searing her intimate passage with vital male heat.
“Folks, if you’ll take a seat we’ll get this meeting underway.”
At the sound of Mayor Jonas Griffin’s voice, Delaney snapped out of her sex-filled reverie. She swallowed. Delaney couldn’t believe she’d been fantasizing about having sex with Rick in the middle of the council meeting.
I have to get out of this town before my sex drive implodes.
She re-filled her cup with hot chocolate and walked to the oval table in the center of the room. Sliding into a chair, she set her cup on the table’s surface. The council members gravitated toward the table and sat down. A sheaf of papers lay on the table in front of each chair.
After a hot meal, everyone had stood around and chatted for a few minutes. Delaney had been delighted to find everyone so friendly. She’d received a much warmer reception than the chilly encounter she’d experienced with Lenore. She sipped her drink and wondered for the fiftieth time what Rick was up to with Lenore. Delaney hoped up to meant they were having dinner and didn’t involve his penis in the up position. Earlier, Rick had taken Delaney on a tour of the town. She couldn’t believe it when Lenore insisted she ride along. Of course, Lenore sat in the middle snuggled against Rick while Delaney hugged the passenger door. She sighed. At least she’d gotten a good look at the town. It was nice as small towns go with several fine old homes, a lovely square and quite a few quaint local businesses. Seeing it had given her some ideas for improvement.
The mayor, a mustached, attractive older man, dressed in a dark suit that highlighted his salt and pepper hair, gave everyone a few moments to read through the papers, then opened the floor for discussion. Everyone had an opinion and wanted theirs heard all at the same time. In an attempt to gain order, His Honor pulled himself up to his full, average height and Delaney smiled at the glint of light reflected off the gold band on his left hand when he used the gavel. A glance in her direction once he gained control of the meeting, reminded her of his nephew who bore the same hazel eyes. “Ms. Monroe--”
She smiled. “Call me Delaney, please.”
“All right, Delaney, I want to officially welcome you to Avery and our council meeting.”
Despite the mayor’s smile and welcoming words a kind of sadness lurked behind his eyes. She wondered why. “Thank you, Mayor. I’m glad to be here.”
“Now that you’ve had a chance to read over our plans to beautify the town and listened to everyone’s suggestions, you have a good idea of what we’re looking for. Do you think you can help us?”
“Yes, I think I can. As I listened to everyone chat, ideas swirled through my head.”
The mayor motioned for her to continue.
Delaney smiled and continued. “I definitely think you should advertise in newspapers not only in Montana but other states as well.”
The door opened a second before Rick stuck his head in. “Sorry I’m late.”
Delaney jerked her head around at the sound of Rick’s voice. She couldn’t believe her eyes and ears.
The mayor and several other council members greeted him as he stepped into the room.
“I didn’t know you were attending,” the mayor said. “We would have ordered food for you.”
“That’s okay, I grabbed something at home.”
His gaze pierced Delaney when he said the words and a silent message passed between them. A little bubble of satisfaction grew inside Delaney’s chest. So, he didn’t dine with Lenore after all. I wonder why?
“Have a seat,” the mayor said.
Rick whisked off his hat and coat and hung them on a rack beside the door. He sat down in the seat the mayor gestured toward and Delaney couldn’t help but inhale a slow, deep breath. Rick smelled of soap and man.
“So what did I miss?” he asked. He turned his chair a little to the side, leaned back and looked at Delaney. His eyes were warm, expressive and seemed to drink her in. His gaze shifted momentarily to her mouth then back to her eyes.
A curl of heat tightened in her stomach. She wished with every pheromone
enriched cell in her body that they had kissed earlier in the garage. Delaney pushed her feelings aside determined to gain control of her libido. As soon as her car was repaired, she would high-tail it to New York.
“Delaney had just started giving us some of her ideas.” The mayor motioned toward Delaney.
She cleared her throat and tried not to look at Rick. She felt his gaze on her. Her pulse quickened under his stare as if he stripped her clothes off right down to her--”
“Go ahead, Delaney, continue.”
The mayor’s words snapped her out of her sensual reverie. “Oh, right. A web site could prove invaluable and increase exposure for the town.” She paused for a moment and sipped her hot chocolate, licked her lips and continued. Rick watched her with his elbows propped on the arms of his chair and his fingers steepled beneath his chin. A slight smile curved his lips and amusement glimmered in his eyes. Her toes curled inside her cowboy boots.
She tore her attention away from Rick’s intriguing gaze. “I think if you make a few cosmetic changes especially to Main Street, like fresh paint for the store fronts and awnings, perhaps new lamp posts. Some of the sidewalks should be repaired because of the cracked concrete. Making these changes would give the town a fresh, more updated look.”
A few council members nodded and murmured in agreement. That was a good sign. She got excited about the ideas as well. It would be something she could add to her resume if the job in New York didn’t work out.
Unable to stop herself she looked back at Rick and wished he would stop looking at her like that. It made her hot all over. “I think one of the most important things you can do is utilize local talent to help draw visitors. Are there any musicians, artists or singers in town?”
A tiny woman with sharp features and the voice of a habitual smoker spoke up. “I’m Sara Farley and I do china painting.”
Sheriff in Her Stocking Page 4