In self-defense, Jenny crossed her legs. Because what had started out as her idea of a proper campaign-planning lunch had suddenly turned into something that was setting her panties on fire. “It’s the suit. Classic never goes out of style.” She darted a glance around the diner and lowered her voice. “But since Lil gained a little weight during her vacation, she packed this one away in a trunk until now.”
He looked down at her lap where her hem had inched up to just shy of decent. “No wonder the skirt is so friggin’ short. You’ve got at least eight inches on Lil.”
She wiggled a little, suddenly a bit self-conscious, which did nothing to make her skirt more demure.
Teague’s stare, already intent, froze. “Jenny,” he croaked.
“Yes?”
On the table, his hand drew into a fist, and he blew out a weightlifter breath. “What are you wearing under that sexy little suit?”
“What do you mean?”
“Please tell me you’re wearing pantyhose.”
“Pu-lease. I don’t think any sane woman has worn pantyhose in a couple of decades.” She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. “No, sir. These are circa 1960s one-hundred percent silk stockings.”
* * *
Teague’s chest tightened. Probably because his heart rate had skyrocketed at the sight of Jenny in those stockings. Here they were in the diner among people he desperately wanted to reelect him, and all he could think about was shoving the silverware off the table and laying Jenny out on it to get his hands under that snug blue skirt.
That would certainly get people’s attention, but seeing their sheriff doing his girlfriend in the diner might not be his best idea for a campaign strategy.
Sad thing was, his lower body didn’t really give a damn. And there were no tablecloths on the diner tables. Teague shifted in his seat to relieve the pressure between his legs. “Other than driving me crazy, what reason did you have for wearing that get-up?”
Lord, lately he hadn’t even gotten enough chances to see Jenny’s own underwear. They needed a date night. Bad.
“I want people to see that I’m a completely supportive partner in your campaign. We’re not married yet, but I want everything to look very conservative, very responsible.”
“You couldn’t look conservative in that get-up if you were a hundred feet away from a roomful of nearsighted moles. I promise you every man who’s seen you today has wanted to run his hand up the back of your thighs.”
Jenny’s breath hitched at his words. Not good. Although Jenny wasn’t the bustiest of women, she was more endowed than Lil, which meant her breasts were already straining the little pearl buttons on her jacket. And with her breath coming faster, they were plumping up above the neckline.
“Stop breathing,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“If I get out of this diner alive, you’re never again allowed to wear something like that.”
“You can’t tell me—”
“Correction, you’re never allowed to wear that out in public. The next night your mom keeps Grayson and we have a private date night, you will dress in that same outfit.”
Jenny gave him a half smile, catching her lower lip between her teeth. “Are you talking dirty to me right here in public in broad daylight?”
“Oh, if I was talking dirty, you wouldn’t have to ask.”
Her eyes dilated—whoosh. Yeah, he wasn’t the only one affected by this little role-play scenario. But his need to pop every one of Jenny’s buttons wasn’t something he should be thinking about in public, so he forced himself to breathe normally. Once his heart rate had settled again, he tapped the folder. “I’m guessing this is what you wanted to talk with me about?”
She took a quick sip of water and casually fanned herself with her paper napkin. “Yes. Good. Let’s get back on track.” Flipping open the folder, she said, “It’s time for us to think about how to improve your image.”
“What?”
“Look, do you want to be sheriff or not?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“Then you can’t sit back and do nothing.”
“I damn well don’t do nothing. I do my job every day.”
“That’s not enough. People don’t necessarily see all the ways you help them and keep them safe. I know how hard you work, but you make it look easy. So I have a few ideas.” She ran her finger down a full-page list printed in a font so tiny Teague had to squint to read a word of it. “This is a plan for a fundraiser. We could probably use the Gypsy Cotton Art Gallery space since it’s vacant now and bring in Colton Ellerbee for a special appearance. If we charge a hundred dollars a plate, then—”
“No.”
“I know you and Colton have had your differences, but—”
“No fundraisers. If someone’s raising money, I’d rather put it to good use on the baseball fields or some other program for the kids.”
She turned the page. “Okay, then how about a dinner out at Summer Haven? Something a little less formal.”
“I don’t think so.” His stomach cramped at the thought of a rubber chicken dinner.
Another page flip, and by the serious expression she wore, he knew she was sincerely trying to help. “Then how about some speeches? I have a list of topics here.” She glanced up at him and must’ve caught his internal oh-hell-no. “Fine, maybe some informal talks then.”
All that stuff was fluff. Crap just to make him look good. And that didn’t work for him. “If you think I need to improve my image, then I want to do something that will truly benefit people. How about a self-defense class?”
Chapter 7
On one of his off-duty evenings the next week, Teague stood in the front of at least thirty folks of voting age in his sweatpants and a brown T-shirt printed with Bartell County Sheriff’s Department. Jenny might have been running down the wrong path with most of her campaign ideas, but the intent might just pay off. The local Ruritans had been more than happy to offer up their facility for free so he could conduct the self-defense class. This ought to amp up his likability rating a notch or two.
At seven o’clock on the nose, he resisted the urge to tug on his ball cap, popped his fingers in his mouth, and let out a whistle to get the group’s attention.
Jenny stood in the front row looking like a Hollywood action figure in black yoga pants and a snug yellow tank top. She gave him a wink, and he offered up a smile. “Thanks for coming tonight,” he said to everyone in the packed room. He couldn’t have hoped for more. “For the next hour I’m going to take you through some basic maneuvers in self-defense. Not only are these important for your safety, but they’re a painless and fun way to ease a little exercise into your daily life.”
The door at the back of the hall swung open and slammed against an interior wall. Everyone in the room spun toward the ruckus as Lil, Maggie, and Abby Ruth strode in like the Dalton Brothers gang coming in to rob the place.
Teague felt the color drain from his face as Abby Ruth led the entourage in bare feet and her signature blue jeans. In sparkly T-shirts emblazoned with “I put the Grand in Grandma” and “Small but Mighty,” Maggie and Lil looked like they’d run through a bedazzling car wash. Right behind them a clomp, clomp, clomp echoed through the space as Hollis Dooley took up the rear of their parade.
Those ladies’ antics over the past few months had caused some folks around Bartell County to question Teague’s authority and effectiveness. He didn’t need them to stir anything else up right now.
Teague flashed a look toward Jenny. Had she known they’d show up? She shrugged and gave him an apologetic little wince.
“Deputy Winston is going to take you through a few easy stretches before we get started,” he told the class. Then he strode to Jenny’s side as if he had important business to discuss. He leaned down and said, “You’ve got to get them out of here.”
“But what if they want to learn self-defense?”
“Tell them I’ll give them a private lesson.�
�� Anything to get them out of here before something happened and all hell broke loose. After all, that had been known to happen when those women inserted themselves into a situation.
While everyone was bent down trying to touch the floor, Jenny made her way to the back of the room and tapped her mother and two besties on the shoulders and hooked a finger to have them follow her.
Teague watched them file out, and his chest loosened. He turned his attention back to his class. “Okay, first thing I want us to practice is a proper defensive stance. Put your dominant foot a little behind the other and to the side. And keep your knees loose. This gives you a powerful base if someone approaches you.” He motioned for Deputy Winston to stroll through and check for proper body alignment. “Good. Now, many people think self-defense is about kicking butt and taking names.”
The crowd chuckled appreciatively.
“But, it’s really about avoiding confrontation—”
From outside the room’s door, raised voices leaked into the room. “What do you mean we need to leave?”
Internally, Teague cringed at the sound of Abby Ruth’s I-don’t-think-so tone.
She continued, “Teague set you up to this, didn’t he? What—is he embarrassed by us old heifers? Should I march right in there and remind him the women of Summer Haven wield a few votes in this upcoming election too? He wouldn’t want to underestimate us.”
Lord, like he would ever do that.
“Excuse me for a minute.” He stretched on a smile that felt fake even to him and made tracks for the door. Once in the building’s entryway, he shut the door behind him, very quietly, very controlled.
Abby Ruth turned on him immediately. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to throw us out of your class.” She glanced over at Maggie and said, “Probably because he doesn’t want us to show him up.”
Even Maggie nodded at that.
Teague shot a help-me look at Jenny, but she just pulled in her lips and rolled a shoulder. Yeah, he was so on his own. “I thought y’all might enjoy a private lesson out at Summer Haven.”
Maggie and Lil both crossed their arms over their sparkly sayings.
Teague glanced from one woman to another. Their mouths were mutinous and their eyes were shooting little poison-tipped darts at the center of his chest. Fine, a man knew when he was beat. “C’mon back in,” he said, sending a sharp look Abby Ruth’s direction. “But this is my class, and I’m in charge. Do you understand?”
Abby Ruth snapped him a completely smart-ass salute, but they all followed him back into the main room.
Forty-five minutes later, he’d taught the class how to deflect someone approaching by dropping back into their defensive stance and yelling “Get back!” Then they’d progressed to throwing a proper punch, but more importantly for the women, how to use the powerful hammer fist.
They were wrapping up by talking about dealing with someone sneaking up on you when he heard a thwump from behind him. He turned to find Lillian Fairview standing over Darrell Holloway, owner of the local hardware store, who was lying on the mat flat on his back looking as if he’d had all the wrenches knocked out of his pockets.
Teague hurried over to help the poor guy to his feet. Then he hustled Miss Lillian a few feet away and whispered urgently, “Did you learn that during your time on the inside?”
She drew her tiny self upright as if slightly offended, but the white-haired matriarch of Summer Shoals still wasn’t an inch over five-feet tall. “Of course not.”
“Then where the heck did that come from?”
She dusted off her hands and smiled up at him with an eyelash flutter. “YouTube is mighty handy, and I always enjoyed watching that Kenny Florian.”
What would this world come to? The matriarch of Summer Shoals was admitting to a crush on a former UFC fighter.
After that, there wasn’t much he could do to wrangle the group again. Everyone wanted Lil to explain her technique, so he supposed that would have to count as his success too.
Finally, as the class members made their way out the door, Teague shook hands and thanked them. Their enthusiasm for the class and warm wishes for the election boosted his confidence. Laura, one of the teachers from the high school, came up and stood very close. “I’m the sponsor for the school’s community service club. Would you consider doing an after-school session like this for the students?”
“I’d be happy to,” Teague said.
But he wasn’t sure Laura was even paying attention since she’d begun circling him, not once looking at his face. Instead, her gaze landed on his shoulders, his arms, his thighs, and as she went behind him, he could feel her stare burning into his butt. When she made her way back to the front, he had the crazy compulsion to cup his hands in front of his crotch.
“Uh…we could do a special separate session for the girls.”
“Umm-hmm,” she murmured.
He sidestepped away from Laura and glanced up to catch Jenny grinning like that cat from Alice in Wonderland. Why wasn’t she saving him?
Finally, she sauntered over and wrapped her arms around his biceps. “Laura, if the service club hosts a self-defense session, I can get my kids to create posters for it.” She glanced up at Teague. “He really is the best. Aren’t I lucky?”
Teague’s chest whomphed with pride. He was the lucky one. With Jenny here by his side, he could conquer anything.
When Jenny finally took pity on him and moseyed Laura out the door of the Ruritan Club, he let himself breathe in relief. The session had gone pretty damn well, if he glossed over the grannies’ grand entrance fanfare and Laura’s predatory perusal. Then again, he probably had her vote.
Jenny strolled back in from walking Laura outside and hit the switch so only a couple of security lights glowed dimly in the space. “You ready to go?”
“I don’t know. You did a pretty half-assed job on that last wrist hold. You might need more practice.”
She laughed and shot him a look over her shoulder. “I think you’re remembering wrong. I’m pretty sure I’m the one who put you on the mat more than once during your little demonstrations.”
And he sure wouldn’t be the one to tell her at least one of those had been a gimme. But he’d needed so badly to be close to her that he’d given her the advantage. “Your mom’s got Grayson handled for a little longer, right?”
Jenny’s smile lifted on one side. “Why do you ask?”
“I wanted to show you a few more moves.”
Her eyebrow went up to match her smile. “Moves? It sounds to me like someone around here has an ulterior motive.”
He gave her his best who-me? grin. “Just doing my job, ma’am. Making sure you can keep yourself safe in an emergency situation.”
“Have you forgotten where we live?” But she sauntered in his direction, her hips making the perfect swivel in those snug yoga pants. “Last time I checked, violent crime wasn’t running rampant in Summer Shoals.”
That was true and just the way he liked it. But a man could never be too careful with the people he loved. He took Jenny’s hand and drew her into the circle of his arms. “I can’t always be with you. I’m serious about you knowing how to take care of yourself—and Grayson—in a dicey situation.”
She rested her head against his chest. “I know. But I’ve been taking care of us for a long time now.”
What she left unsaid was without you. Before she could guess his intent, Teague spun her around, put her in a mock chokehold with his forearm against her throat. And quick as a snap, she buried her chin in the crook of his arm to protect her airway, stomped the crap out of his right instep, turned, landed a hammer hit to his solar plexus then took three leaps out of his reach.
And to his everlasting mortification, she rang his bell. And he knew damn well she’d pulled that punch. Damn, he wanted her to need him for something.
As quickly as she’d jumped away, Jenny moved back into his space and cupped his face in her palms. “There’s always danger in this wo
rld, Teague. We can’t always know when it might sneak up on us.”
God, that was the truth. The day his unit had been called out to that sprawling compound in Houston, he had no idea how much danger a child could be in, from a parent figure, no less. That was a scene that still haunted his dreams. Not every night, like it had right after it happened, but every few months it still showed up and blew the shit out of his subconscious.
He grabbed his baseball cap and jerked it off his head, rubbing the brim with his thumb. “But I would never forgive myself if I didn’t take care of you.”
“Taking care goes both ways.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheekbone, soothing the sting from her less than loving touch. Her lips trailed across his face to the corner of his mouth. She gave him a quick nip then her tongue darted out to touch him there. A sudden need shuddered all the way through Teague’s body.
He might not be able to shelter Jenny from everything, but that didn’t keep him from sometimes wanting to wrap his body around hers and push away the world. He dropped his hat to the floor, and with slow steps, he backed her against the wall where he’d hung another protective mat. With his thumbs under her chin, he tilted her face up and took her lips.
And oh Lord, he’d been waiting for this kiss since they’d sat in the diner planning possible campaign strategies. The thought of those stockings never completely left his mind. Against his, Jenny’s mouth was mobile and sweet. She never held back from him, always meeting him touch for touch. She used her tongue to tease him, to torment him. To tempt him into action.
He pushed his hands through her hair, mussing up the ponytail she’d worn to class. Their kiss went on and on. Sometimes edging toward wild then gentling again. He could kiss this woman every minute of every day.
Their chests pressed against each other with their labored breathing, and Jenny pulled back slightly. “I know you have an aversion to public places, so you might want to rethink this.”
“I have no problem with public places.” He slid his hands to her face, cupped it in his palms. “I have a problem with someone catching us in public places. Lucky for us, when I booked the space here, I was told no one was using the entire building today, and there are still a number of hours until tomorrow.”
Come a Little Closer Page 6