by Jodi Linton
I probably should’ve seen that one coming. The doctor eyed us both. He had to be blond and blue eyed. It only made me hate him even more for touching her. A surefire way to getting placed on my shit list was looking like the rancher I had to play nice with…Luke Wagner.
Ignoring the doctor’s stare down, I pushed the hat back on my head and used my come-on-baby-you-know-I-am-sorry-for-screwing-up grin. She didn’t move a muscle. Damn. Voice low and only for her ears, I leaned in closer than necessary and asked, “You get my message?”
“What do you think?” Her hand slapped me across the cheek, leaving behind a crack like a whip. Fine, I deserved that one, too. Anger forcefully bit at her meek voice. “First you arrest Luke. Then, instead of calling me to make sure I’m okay, your next line of attack is to have my mother text me about your hospital stint?”
“Hard to get a line on ya when your phone won’t pick up.”
More than likely staring at her sexy-as-sin hips wasn’t the best move, seeing how I wouldn’t put it past her to kick me in the nuts right about now.
She shifted on the balls of her feet. “Tell me, Wilson. How come Luke always seems to dodge a bullet, but my badge-carrying boyfriend can’t?”
Because your rancher friend is a prick. But I knew taking a jab at Luke Wagner would just dig that hole I was intent on climbing myself out of even deeper.
I scrubbed a hand over my face and grumbled. “So Mr. Feel Good Hands must’ve filled you in real good,” I said dryly, staring at the shitty-ass doctor.
“God, you can be piggish sometimes.”
“Well, sweetheart, what kind of man would I be if I thought it was okay some other guy wanted to get up inside your pants?”
Her heated gaze slid up and down my body, slowly but deliberately. “Seeing that you’re faring so well, I guess that’s my cue to head out.” Laney smiled at the doctor, the type of smile that was only meant for me. “Thanks for the heads-up, Doc.”
The doctor said nothing, just left with a quick nod as he gathered up some paperwork.
“I think he likes you.”
She glared at me. “And I think you’re a jerk.”
“I might be a jerk, but they won’t let me drive home.” I slid my hand up around her neck, threading her hair into my fingers, and placed my mouth near her ear. “Too many pills,” I replied, the tightness growing against my zipper when she let out a small sigh. She’d always smelled amazing. “You by chance know any cute little brunette deputy who might give me a ride home?”
“Sorry, your ego and everything else you’re packing is out of my jurisdiction.” She finally broke a smile.
I leaned in and barely caught myself from falling flat on my face when the pain of my ass raced up my back, then I pulled out the badass cop voice—my go-to reaction when it came to winning a battle with Laney. “Wanna frisk me at the door? I sure as hell won’t mind.”
Not even one single muscle flinched on her face. Damn. It’d always been a turn-on before. I should’ve known she’d make me work my ass off to win her over again. When my hand tightened on her shoulder, her eyes flared in annoyance. Laney moved a step back and cut a scowl at my hand. Immediately, I removed it and leaned against the wall.
Her gaze fell to my ass, then rose to my face. “I didn’t know a case of blue balls was on the dinner menu for the evening.”
Ouch. In response to her question, I tipped my hat and said, “Darling, I can’t help it if the good Lord made me healthily endowed.”
Her eyebrow arched. “Oh my god, you’re thinking about me naked.”
Naked. Up against the wall. Screaming my name. Hell, I’d take any one of them and not in a particular order.
“Well, yeah.”
“That could become a real big problem.”
“Tell me about it.”
Laney laughed, the girly sound of her voice making the strain beating down my fly even more painful. “Because I’m thinking about whether the townsfolk will disapprove of me sending another load of rock salt into your ass.”
She must’ve noticed the wince that slipped from my lips, because her upper lip twitched in an attempt to suppress that pretty plump smile of hers.
I shrugged a shoulder. “They would, I promise.”
“Really?” She stepped in closer and ran a hand down my chest, sending every single cell in my body humming let’s have sex. “I probably could convince them it was an accident,” she said, tossing me a cute wink.
There’d be no argument from me on that accurate assessment. Maybe if I played my cards right on the ride over to our house she’d hear me out. God, I was gonna have to master a skill and learn to swallow my pride this time around.
“If you give me a ride, I’ll confess to whatever questions asked.”
The car keys dangled in her petite hands—the same hands that held the power to drive me nuts by simply squeezing my ass. She looked around, almost nervous about what to say next, then fitted me with an icy stare capable of sawing me in two. “Well, cowboy, it looks like you’re in luck. I know just the place to drop ya off at.”
Pathetic, how much I enjoyed that nickname.
Chapter Four
Laney
The shocked expression creeping along my Texas Ranger’s face when he spotted the Pistol Rock Motor Lodge peeling into view was better than that time my mother caught me riding him bareback in his pickup senior year of high school.
I pulled into a slot near the office and turned off the vehicle. Gunner sat motionless, hands balled into fists on his lap. He should’ve known better than to think I’d share my bed with a bold-faced liar tonight. Cold sheets sounded more pleasant by the minute. I kicked the driver’s side door open and cool moonlight rushed inside, etching out the shadows of his chiseled jaw working overtime. The need to reach out and touch that deadly stubble lining his tanned, handsome face made my skin tingle. Despite the intoxicating itch, I clung to the fact he’d hidden more than a closet full of skeletons from me.
True love, my butt.
He still didn’t move, so I decided to fill him in.
“I called ahead.” Swinging a boot out of the car, I told him about the evening’s plans. “And what do you know, they weren’t booked.” I stood. The icy drizzle dripped from my straw cowboy hat and rolled down the sides of my face until it hit the muddy ground with a splash. “Come on, before we catch a cold,” I told my hunky, deceitful boyfriend, then slammed the car door shut.
Gunner clenched his teeth as he slid out of the cruiser. “I’ve already caught a bullet, babe, so a cold would be a piece of cake.” He hobbled around to the front of the car. “Could I get a hand?” He rested against the hood. “Think the drugs are starting to wear off, because my thigh hurts like a motherfucker.”
“You’re such a poet.” I reached out a hand. “What do you say we get that lazy ass of yours inside?”
He chuckled deeply, then latched on to my arm, righting himself. “I do believe, Deputy ma’am, you might be going all soft on me.”
I had to get him inside, and then I’d drill that deliciously sweet, Wrangler-hugging ass. As I slung his arm across my shoulders, I could feel the weight and warmth of his body align with mine. “You caught me at a bad time.” Our eyes met in a heated stare down, probably slightly more pissed off than peachy keen. “But don’t you worry, come tomorrow morning and I’ll be bringing that lovable bitch back to the table.”
He smiled, satisfied. “Knew my girl was in there somewhere.” He touched my cheek, slowly dragging a finger toward my chin. The sorrowful look on his face brought back all the pain from earlier, and then he tugged at my bottom lip and I felt the pressure in my chest explode. “I’m so goddamn sorry. Truly, I am.”
We were some screwed-up piece of work.
I slid a glance up and down his perfect male specimen of a body. “I think you might’ve missed your calling.”
“Why’s that?” He gave me an odd look.
Our gazes met in the crossfire. “You would’ve made a gr
eat politician.”
We crossed the parking lot and stopped on the sidewalk so I could fish the key out of my front pocket. Plastic ziplock bags filled with water still hung dismally from the flat roof, showcasing last summer’s attempt to ward off mosquitoes. Old Christmas decorations flashed in competition with the vacancy sign in the office window frosted with fake snow. The last time my red cowboy boots broached this motel, I’d stood by while the rangers carted my cousin off to county lockup.
Room nine, swinging broken gold number and all, stood two feet ahead. I bent over to grab the room key Marty had promised to stash under the doormat, when Gunner touched my arm and the warmth of his flesh on mine sent my senses into overdrive. Like hell I’d crumble to such an advance so quickly—even if I was dying inside to ride that cock the same way that huge belt buckle rode those narrow hips.
I shoved the key in the lock and turned, then pushed the dingy red door wide open. “You’ve stayed here enough so the bed shouldn’t be a problem.” My boots slid over the threshold just as a solid, firm grip latched onto my wrist and whirled me around, smacking my face into a hard, ripped, all-male chest. More than likely I enjoyed trouble, because as if it was second nature, my gaze locked in on that muscled right forearm inked in a black rattlesnake tattoo. “I asked Marty Sampson to turn on the heat, so it should be hot enough by now.”
A deep chuckle seared my ears. “Your ass is hot.”
The doorknob rattled beneath my hand. “Damn, you used to be so smooth. I’m starting to think your glory days are behind you.”
He lifted his arm and kissed his tattoo. “This still gets you all hot and bothered.” Gunner smiled as he lowered the arm back down by his side.
Gaze glued on the way the black rattlesnake tattoo flexed and pulled taut along his toned, muscled forearm, I might’ve let out a sigh. “Inflated ego, much?”
“You know it, sweetheart.” He grinned, voice so low and rough it had the potential to singe my cotton panties.
Standing my ground seemed to fade into oblivion at the loud thud the door made upon closing. Before I could protest and move out of the way, one dangerously sexy Texas Ranger had me backed into the room, and the sound of him hissing through his teeth as he tried to mask the pain rumbled in my ears. Stupid move to believe the two of us could hang out in a motel room without some sort of supervision. My boots caught on the tattered carpet, and before I could tumble over he yanked me up against his chest, fusing us together. He sank a leg between my thighs while he threaded a hand through my hair and tangled his fingers into a binding hold. Such aggression made me pause until I saw the satisfied grin curving up his sexy lips. I needed to catch my breath, since he seemed content on invading my personal space. When I shifted against his chest, he took the move to his advantage and grated his lips on mine, testing…no, searching out the lay of the land. Then, and only then, did he kiss me, hard and fast. The embrace numbed my mind and held the potential to make me come with just a tongue flick. I needed to get my head back in the game…and quick. Definitely, I needed this tempting man of mine to come clean before he broke me beyond repair.
On a cheek turn, I sighed and roughly shoved both hands at his chest. “You’ve got some balls forcing a kiss on me, Gunner Wilson.”
He licked his lips. “Hell yeah, I got balls.” A finger trailed down the side of my neck, practically triggering my knees to buckle beneath me. Heat rushed to my cheeks as he leaned in closer and placed his mouth just beneath my earlobe, whispering in a low-down dirty drawl, “Admit it, you crave what’s in my pants more than you crave that orange cream roll of Lifesavers you always buy at the Filler- Up.”
Even though the stud sporting a huge belt buckle standing in front of me had my number on speed dial, he and that impressive friendly package could hang out all night watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother for all I cared.
“Where the hell is Luke?” When he didn’t respond, I decided to go for broke. “And on that note, how about trying to run that explanation about the photo of my family by me again?”
Brown eyes lowered to my hands. His mouth thinned, and then the comfort of his hands fell from my waist as Gunner took a step back. Face grim and unreadable, he tossed his black cowboy hat on the bed and started to pace. Great. Like I needed one ticking time bomb of a cowboy to stress out my already complicated life.
“You told me you were going to the store to buy ingredients to make a pie.”
“You arrested Luke on Christmas Day.”
He muttered something under his breath. “The photo first”—his brows furrowed—“then I’ll discuss Luke,” he said, gingerly taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “I took it from the box in the closet. You know, the one with all the old family photos.” He looked up at me, his brown eyes begging for forgiveness.
Shit, I wasn’t expecting him to answer so freely.
I examined that ruggedly handsome face for any signs of a lie. He didn’t even flinch, so I concluded what better way to get to the point than to poke a little harder. “I’m not buying that bullshit excuse about some freaking ranger station New Year’s Eve party this time around. Besides, I called your boss, and he had no clue what I was talking about.”
Shrugging, he pulled off a boot, then got to work on the other one. “What if I told you I’ve been doing some housecleaning?” One brow arched when the cowboy boot thumped to the floor. “Would ya believe me?”
Not by a long shot.
“Cough it up, cowboy…or I won’t be coughing it over anytime soon.”
He grinned. “Really enjoy being kept on my toes.” He scrubbed his jaw and replied, “I’ve been looking into my parents’ old case, as you know.” Gunner paused, anticipating my nod. “Those old pictures have something to do with their murders.”
Not entirely what I wanted to hear.
“Whoa.” I threw up my hands, requesting a moment to comprehend such earth-shattering news. “How about we take a step back here, Gunner? The picture of my father and me, you think it has something to do with your parents’ deaths?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “There’s always two sides to every truth, Laney.” He hunched over on his elbows and grumbled, “Do we really have to go there tonight?” His gaze lifted toward mine. “You’ll hate me in the end.”
“I think you’re good, since I already crossed that line hours ago.”
“Damn glad we got that out of the way.” He smirked and stretched both long legs out, relaxing on the bed. “The guy in the picture standing next to Luke’s dad behind you and your old man, well, I think he might know something about my parents.”
My boyfriend must’ve gone crazy.
I shook my head in confusion. “What guy?”
He rolled up on his elbows. “The young guy with Mitch Wagner. I’ve been trying to track him down, and I’ve hit every dead end possible.” Gunner looked me square in the eyes, his face a kaleidoscope of regret and painful memories. “You wanted to know about Luke, right?”
“Y-yes…” I was barely able to speak because the sight of him pulling that skintight black T-shirt over his head stole all the freaking air from my lungs.
Gunner dropped the shirt on the bed, smiled, rose to his feet, and sauntered my way in a slow, lanky stride. “Can’t tell you much about Luke except that he’s in custody and safe right now, and the reason I kept his arrest secret was because I needed to protect you, sweetheart. He knows things, information that has the potential to bring down some very powerful men in Pistol Rock. A ranger friend is watching after him.”
My eyes flew wide. “Wait… How? This is Luke Wagner we’re talking about. He only cares about one thing in life—scoring top-notch tail. Why would he turn on the exact same men his father could be making business deals with?”
“I guess this time protecting Wagner’s own tail took priority.”
“You aren’t giving me much here to go on, cowboy.” I tossed my hat on the bed. “It’s not front-page news that Luke’s in love with himself.” The gold
en irises of Gunner’s deep brown eyes flickered, and even though I knew he was trying to hide the concern behind his stern expression, I spotted it. “Got anything more you want to say?”
He stretched both arms above his head, and damn, those bulging muscles were a sight for sore eyes. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but Luke might have a thing for me.”
I laughed. “Clearly whatever pills the doctor gave you have shot straight to your head.”
On a wink, he gestured toward the hard-on aching to breathe beneath that dang zipper fly of his. “Sure about that?” he said, gaining an inch on the distance between us. “Luke needed help, and in order to achieve such help I had to keep you in the dark. Every fucking thing I did was only meant to keep you safe.”
Damn. Picking a motel room to hash out a case probably wasn’t my smartest decision to date. But hey, it could just get in line, since there weren’t enough hours in the day to sort through the mess that was my life. “I’m not a pathetic doormat that needs some man to hold my hand.”
“Please forgive me for being an ass, Laney Briggs. But I couldn’t allow anything to happen to that damn fine behind of yours.” He reached out a hand and cupped my face, placing our mouths mere inches from a kiss. “So, did I spill enough to get my girl to cough over the goods?” he drawled in a low growl.
“You aren’t even in the ballpark, cowboy.” I jerked in his firm grip, trying desperately to distance myself from those passionate brown eyes. “Besides, you smell like something the cat dragged in.”
The grin widened. “Got a remedy for that?”
“If you’re looking for a nursemaid, I hate to break the news, but you’ve been screwing the wrong chick.”
He let his hands fall to my waist, and I felt the tingling between my thighs intensify. “I promise to be a good boy.”
Oh, snap. The man cradling my ass in his hands was way too pretty for his own good. But I’d made a deal with myself, and no sexy-as-hell Texas Ranger would stand in my way. He winked. And okay, I might’ve slightly caved. “Hell, don’t look at me like that.”