Lust in the First Degree [The Andersons 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Marie Jermy

  Darcy remembered to breathe as Matt danced down the wooden steps and then was totally blown away when he dropped the backpack he carried, drew her tight against his body, and soldered his mouth to hers. Wow! Matt Anderson was an expert in the art of kissing. Just the right amount of pressure and not too wet. He also knew how to use his tongue, when to explore and when to tangle, and when to back off so she could do some exploring and tangling of her own.

  The bag of food and the two water bottles hit the floor at their feet. A little moan escaped her mouth when she circled her arms around his shoulders, digging her fingers into their solidness and strength. Pussy juice coated her panties by the time he drew back.

  “Hi,” he murmured, giving her bottom lip a quick nibble.

  “Hi, yourself.” She felt too stunned to say anything else.

  “Ready to see my tackle?”

  Never mind about “seeing,” she could definitely feel Matt’s “tackle.” His cock was wedged between them and was so hard all she could think of was impaling herself on the thick length and riding it until they both flopped with exhaustion. She sighed. “Oh, yeah.”

  He chuckled. “C’mon,” he said, releasing her and picking up his backpack. “You can borrow Mom’s bike.”

  Darcy retrieved the fallen bag of food and water and followed Matt around to the rear of the house. Shaded by towering pine trees on either side, the gravel track continued into the distance. “Where does that lead to?”

  He stopped outside a large weather-beaten garage. “Silver Creek Lake. ’Bout a quarter mile away. I’ll show you it if you’d like.” Something in Matt’s tone told her he would be doing no such thing. Her frown must have told him further explanation was needed. “My sister Sammy was raped—um, sexually assaulted down there. It’s beautiful at the lake, but at the moment, it’s not a good place for me.” He shrugged. “I thought Dan would have told you.”

  “No. Well, no, yes. I was with Danny when his father telephoned and told him about what had happened. I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything. Danny had his cell on loudspeaker, that’s all. We were alone so nobody else heard. And he knows I won’t tell anybody. And I haven’t. I wouldn’t.” Yeah, dumb-butt, I think you’ve labored that point. There was a short silence until she said, “You can show me another time. So do you live with your parents?”

  “No. I live with Mona and Sammy on Second Street in the town. Well, I say that, but Mona now lives at the vet’s practice with Rex. And as you know, Sammy’s in LA with Dan.”

  “Who’s Mona, and who’s Rex?”

  “Ramona. My other sister and Sammy’s twin. Rex Latimer is a vet and is Mona’s business partner who she’s fucking. They’re probably fucking each other even as we speak. Dan and Sammy, too. But they’re my sisters, and I don’t want to think too much about that. My brother Ross lives in New York and recently got engaged to Dan’s sister, Jessica. They’re probably fucking as well.”

  She laughed. “A lot of fucking going on then.”

  “Yeah, my whole family’s at it. Well, apart from me.”

  Matt threw her a hopeful look as he swung open the double doors of the garage and disappeared inside. Darcy again laughed and, sliding her sunglasses up to perch on top of her head, followed him. “Easy, tiger. Plenty of time.”

  Light from outside illuminated the dark interior. A shiny, black monster of a truck sat in the middle of the floor while on the far wall, at about shoulder height, four mountain bikes each hung on a separate bracket frame. “Nice truck,” she said, admiring the beast of it all, from its four massive tires to its chrome bumpers and grille bars.

  “It’s Dad’s. A wedding anniversary present from Mom.”

  She watched Matt’s biceps flex as he first lifted a purple cycle free, set it on the ground, and kicked out the stand, and then did the same to a green-and-yellow bike. He turned to her. Her heart rate galloped and renewed pussy juice coated her panties when he ever so slowly ran his eyes from the sunglasses on top of her head down to her hiking boots and then back up again.

  “I think Dad’s bike will suit you better. Mom’s five three and with your height, I don’t think the saddle will go up that high. You’ve got longer legs than Mom.”

  His daring grin made her belly quiver. Heat raced through her body, warming her blood and her pussy juice. Behind the fabric of her tank top, her nipples sprang into action, pearling into achy points. “All the better to wrap around your waist with,” she responded with a wolfish grin.

  Matt made a move toward Darcy, his eyes glinting with wicked intent, but whatever action he’d been about to do was interrupted with the arrival of a tall, gray-haired man dressed in jeans and a worn denim shirt. Darcy felt her eyes widening. The man must have been crowding eighty, but wow, was he a handsome devil. She also saw a lot of Matt in not just the man’s physique but his face, too. They shared the same piercing, sky-blue eyes and strong, square jaw. He must be Matt’s father. Matt then confirmed it by addressing him.

  “Dad, she’s gonna borrow your bike. Okay?”

  “Sure thing, son.” The elder Anderson’s eyes sparkled with warmth and humor. “And does ‘she’ have a name?”

  Matt waved a casual hand at each of them in turn. “Dad, Darcy. Darcy, Dad.”

  Darcy shook her head at Matt’s brief, almost dismissive introduction. “Darcy Forbes, Mr. Anderson.” She held out a hand, and Matt’s father gave it a warm squeeze.

  “Call me Ross.”

  A kind, welcoming smile creased his elderly features, taking his good looks up to a higher level. Wow, if Matt looked that good if he got to be an octogenarian then she’d better bag him while she had the chance. Darcy felt her lips twitching at the image of fighting off the competition with a walker.

  “What brings you to Silver Creek, Darcy?”

  She shook her head to dispel the ridiculous and laughable image and opened her mouth, however, Matt answered for her, “She came looking for Dan but found me instead.”

  “I work with Danny Ferris,” she explained further on seeing Ross’s frown. “Before he left Yellowstone, he said he’d be coming here. I thought I’d catch up with him, but when I arrived yesterday, Matt told me he’d gone home with Samantha.”

  Ross nodded. “I like Daniel. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. You know, he’s my godson, but I’ve got a feeling he’ll also soon become my son-in-law.” There was a snort from Matt who was standing at a nearby workbench sorting through what looked like a tackle box. “I take it since you work with Daniel that you’re a geologist?”

  Darcy nodded. “Yes, but whereas Daniel’s specialty lies in seismology, mine is volcanology.”

  A knowledgeable light blinked on in Ross’s eyes when he said how amazed he’d been to discover that the caldera in Yellowstone produced some two-thousand-plus earthquakes a year. Hmm, had Daniel told him about their study at Yellowstone? Whether he had or hadn’t, she was impressed that Ross had used the term caldera rather than super volcano. He then asked if the Old Faithful geyser was an example of volcanic activity. She nodded yes, and there was another snort from Matt.

  “Going fishing?” his father asked.

  Matt snapped the lid on the tackle box shut. “Yeah, I was gonna take Darcy fly fishing, but thinking about it, I really can’t be bothered to take my rods or my waders. It’s too damned hot.”

  “Then there’s the fact you forgot to renew your fishing license.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “The reminder is still where you put it on our refrigerator, son.”

  “Oh. Crap.”

  Darcy smiled at the interplay between father and son. It was obvious they shared a close relationship. In a way it made her feel sad because she had never experienced it, not when her father had been a lazy no-good. Her mother hadn’t been much better, either. She could count on the fingers of one hand the times her parents had treated her like a daughter and not a slave.

  She’d once vowed that if she ever had a daughter, she would give her all the love
in the world. Her eyes centered on Matt. With the cocky grin he sported, she could easily see him swinging their squealing-with-delight, dark-haired little girl up onto his solid shoulders. She blinked. Okay, where had that come from? She only wanted a hot fuck—okay, hot fucks, plural—from Matt, not a family. It was a nice thought, though, but one that would remain just that, a thought.

  “Well, it was a pleasure, Darcy. Don’t be a stranger. My wife Jess isn’t home at the minute, but I know she’d like to meet you. I’m sure—No, I know you two will get on like a house on fire.”

  Darcy again blinked and shook her head to clear her mind of hot fucking and family gatherings. Ross shot her a warm smile and gave Matt the thumbs-up as he left the shed, humming under his breath. It sounded like the “Wedding March,” but she was almost certainly mistaken. “Why would your father give you the thumbs-up?” she wondered aloud.

  “No reason.”

  Matt was shooting daggers at his father’s back, yet his tone was casual and carefree, telling her there was a very good reason. Just one he wouldn’t be sharing. He shouldered the backpack, but then noticing the bag and two bottles she held, he took it off and opened the flap. She gaped at what she saw on the folded towel inside. “You’re off duty, yet you carry your weapon, badge, and cuffs?”

  “Always. You never know when you’re gonna arrest someone.”

  “And are you gonna arrest me?”

  “Depends.” He pointed to her purse. “If that doesn’t contain condoms then I just might.”

  Matt was joshing with her, but Darcy suddenly felt uncomfortable. Her purse contained her own source of protection. But then again, with Matt around, did she need it? She felt safe with Matt, but still didn’t want to inform him of her purse’s content. He might not like what he found out when running her permit through the police databases.

  “What’s in the bag, Darcy?”

  His tone carried an authoritative note. Darcy nibbled her bottom lip. “Huh? Bag?” Matt gestured to the brown paper bag. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Oh. Our lunch. Courtesy of Mr. Harrison. Chicken and salad sandwiches, fruit, chips, and salsa dip.”

  “Homemade crusty bread?”

  She laughed at his wide-eyed, hopeful expression, like that of a little boy making a wish when blowing out the candles on his birthday cake. She placed the food bag and the bottles of water into the backpack. She also spotted a flashlight, cell phone, and a bottle of sunblock amongst Matt’s police toys. “That’s what he said.”

  “Aw, man. Heaven.”

  “I must admit it does smell good.”

  “Wait until you taste it. Even Dad can’t better Harrison at bread making. And that’s saying something. My dad’s a frigging wonder in the kitchen.”

  “Hope you don’t mind me saying, Matt, but your dad is fit.”

  “You’ve got the hots for my father?” Matt pulled a face and gestured to her purse. “You wanna put that in as well?”

  She hesitated for a second before adding her purse to the backpack, which he then shouldered. “No. It’s just you look so much alike.”

  “Dad turns eighty-one next month and has more wrinkles than a prune. So if you’re saying I look like him, then you need glasses.”

  Darcy rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. There’s a strong family resemblance.”

  “Yeah, I know.” With a grin, Matt dug a pair of shades from his back pocket, popped them on, and wheeled his bike toward the door. She followed.

  Outside, casually leaning against one of the veranda’s support posts, stood another tall, handsome man. His short, light-brown hair was neat in style and his solid-looking body was smartly dressed in beige slacks, a blue Oxford shirt, and a darker-blue tie. He held a black medical bag.

  For a moment, Darcy wondered if there was something in the Silver Creek’s water supply. Whether in passing or to talk to, every man she’d come across had been good-looking. Even Phil Harrison was easy on the eye, even if it was in a geeky kind of way.

  As they approached, the man straightened and a self-assured smile crossed his lips. “Mornin’, Matt.”

  Darcy placed the man’s drawling Southern accent to Louisiana, New Orleans, perhaps. Matt muttered something under his breath, which she couldn’t catch. “What do you want?”

  The self-assured smile widened. “An introduction to the lady would be a start.”

  “Rex, Darcy. Darcy, Rex.”

  Darcy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Matt was not big on introductions. She gave Rex’s outstretched hand a quick shake. “Darcy Forbes. I’m a friend and colleague of Danny Ferris’s. It’s Rex Latimer, isn’t it? Matt tells me you’re a vet and that you work with Ramona, his sister.”

  “That’s right I do. Ramona and I are fifty-fifty partners. Did Matt tell you that Ramona is also my fiancée?”

  “No. He didn’t. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. I’m now on my way to collect the ring. I had it custom made. Perhaps you’d like to see it later if—”

  “Look,” Matt interrupted, “we’re kinda busy here. You know, people to see, things to do. So what d’ya want?”

  Though Matt was giving Rex short shrift, Darcy sensed a strong friendship between the men. Rex opened his medical bag and removed a sheaf of papers.

  “You said you wanted a copy of the injunction papers that I had my lawyer draw up against my ex-wife. You said it might be useful to put them with the assault charge that you filed against her.”

  “I’m off duty. Put it on my desk, and I’ll deal with it when I return.”

  Darcy battled with a smile. Matt’s rudeness was like water running off a duck’s back with Rex. He returned the papers to his bag and then turned away as if to go, but then a second later, and in an action that reminded Darcy of the TV detective Columbo, Rex turned around and faced Matt.

  “Hey, Matt, future brother-in-law of mine, you need to cool off. Go and dunk your head in the Beaverhead.” Rex winked at Darcy. “It was a real pleasure, Darcy.”

  “Bye, Rex.” She threw him a cute little wave of her fingers. Beside her, Matt went stock-still as Rex sauntered away humming loudly. She would bet that Rex was feeling every inch of Matt’s laser-beam stare boring into his broad back. She’d had her fill of jealous psychopaths. Not that Matt was a psychopath. Nor was he jealous. It was more like impatience, and it radiated off of him in waves, like the heat from the sun on a hazy summer’s day. Rather like today actually.

  Rex’s humming, or rather the tune, then registered. It was the “Wedding March!” She glanced at Matt, still standing like a statue. The question “why?” formed on her lips. However, before she could voice it, a roguish grin stretched Matt’s lips.

  “C’mon, let’s go for that ride.”

  Her heart tripped, and she swiftly averted her gaze. She just as swiftly reached two conclusions. Matt was referring to a hot fuck. The “Wedding March” that Matt’s father and Rex Latimer hummed was obviously in reference to Rex’s forthcoming nuptials to Matt’s sister, Ramona. It had to be. Didn’t it? Darcy believed so because a hike down the aisle definitely wasn’t on her itinerary while in Silver Creek.

  Chapter 4

  A short distance from the Anderson house going back up Silver Street toward Main Street, they veered off onto a dirt track that was just about wide enough for two bikes and weaved through the expanse of parched grass and wilting yellow and pink wildflowers. Rain was desperately needed. Not one insect hummed in the thick, blistering air. The only sounds were the crunching of their tires on grit.

  Cycling side by side, Darcy admired the flexing muscles of Matt’s thighs as his legs pumped the pedals, her horny mood increasing with every enticing rub of her pussy across the saddle every time her bike hit a hole or a large stone. She was pretty sure her panties were soaked and the leather saddle smeared with her juices permeating through the denim of her shorts. She hit another dip.

  “Ride me, Darcy, and you won’t be moaning. You’ll be screaming.”

  Her
foot slipped off the pedal. Had she really just moaned? She shot Matt a glance. He sported one of those daring grins that tripped her heart into a double beat. Her other foot slipped. She stopped, and he instantly braked, too.

  “You okay?” he asked, his daring grin changing into concern.

  She smiled. “I’m fine. I’m just taken with the land.” She swept a hand around in a wide arc. To their left was a handsome bank of pine trees. To their right, the plain stretched out in an arid, yet gilded oasis. “It’s very scenic.”

  “Funny, I thought you were looking at my thighs. Are they scenic?”

  “Mmm, and built for riding.”

  He chuckled. “So is my cock. Wanna get on?”

  She raised a brow. “Right here? Right now?”

  “Why not?”

  “Someone might see.”

  Matt looked all around him. “Who? That bird up there? Yeah, okay, point taken.” His mouth stretched into a mocking grin. “We might scar him for life. Turn his feathers gray or something.”

  Oh, he was so cocky, Darcy wanted to slap that grin right off his handsome face. “I haven’t even said that I like you enough to fuck you.” His face fell, and a smile tugged at her lips. She swatted him on the arm. “Of course I want to fuck you, you idiot. Pick a spot and we’ll do it.”

  “So, you do carry condoms in that purse of yours then.”

  Her smile froze. Shit, shit, shit. As she pondered on how to get herself out of the hole she’d just half dug, Matt suddenly swore under his breath and took an interest in something on the track behind her.

  Darcy looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. Two men were walking toward them. With what they were carrying, she assumed correctly that they were going fishing. They nodded and smiled as they passed. Matt again swore under his breath. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  “They’re going fishing.”