by Stacy Eaton
“Why would you do that?”
“Because the guy gave me a nasty look, and I hate people that leave their cars running. It’s against the law.”
He laughed; he actually laughed as he shifted in his seat. “You really want me to believe that your prints were on the car because you were pissed off that the guy gave you a dirty look?”
“Well, yeah, but he left his car running! Isn’t that against the law? It is against the law, isn’t it?”
“So is entering another person’s vehicle without permission. It could be construed as theft.”
“But I didn’t steal anything.”
“You took their keys.”
“No, I removed their keys and tossed them into the back. I didn’t take their keys.”
“You removed something that belonged to someone else to deny them of their property.”
“No! I moved the keys to piss them off!”
“You do realize that because you removed their keys, you also removed their getaway vehicle, and that is why they came into the coffee shop. It was the only business open at that time of the morning.”
I winced. “Yeah, I kind of figured that out.”
He shook his head again.
“You believe me, right?”
“Ms. Valor, your answer is just crazy enough to be truthful. Yes, I believe you.” He pulled keys out of his pocket and unlocked the cuff that was holding my right arm on the table. “I should warn you against getting into other people's business. The next time you see someone leave their car running, call the police. Don’t get yourself in trouble.”
“I will. I promise I won’t do that again.” I rubbed my wrist as I held my arm close to my chest. “Can I go home now?”
“Yes, Mr. Blaire is here. Stay here for a minute.”
“Alright,” I told him as I leaned back in my seat and stared at the chip bag, a little smile on my face. “I already knew he was here.”
“Yeah, how so?”
“He knows I hate sour cream and onion chips, but he loves them. This was his way of telling me he was here.”
He stared at the bag and then chuckled. “Smart guy. I’ll be right back.”
He left me in the room for a few more minutes, and I assumed he was doing whatever paperwork he needed to do to release me. A couple of minutes later, the door opened, and Greg came in, his brows low over his brooding eyes.
“Of all the stupid things that you could have done, Maggie. You almost got yourself into a lot of trouble.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell them that you did that before?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I guess I thought I’d get in trouble for doing it.”
His frown deepened. “You did get in trouble for doing it. You got arrested.”
“No, I think I was detained, not arrested. They didn’t read me my rights or fingerprint me.”
He took my arm. “Come on, Mags, let’s get you home. The detective said you could go.”
“Who is with Mom?”
“Trevor and his fiancée are with her.”
I blinked. “He brought his fiancée over?”
“Yep, and his son. I checked in on them a few minutes ago; everyone is fine, and your mom is having fun with Devon.”
“Thank you, Greg.”
“You’re lucky we were there when the cops showed up,” he said as we reached the front entrance, and the cop buzzed us out.
“Yeah, speaking of that. What was in the box?”
Greg glanced back over his shoulder and didn’t answer until we were outside. “A dead rat.”
“What?”
“Maggie, someone sent you a rat. Who else did you piss off?”
“No one!” I snapped as I crossed my arms over my chest. “I swear, I have no idea who would send me a rat.”
He pursed his lips and then glanced down at my feet. Before I knew what he was doing, he bent down and scooped me up and over his shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing? Put me down, Greg!”
“I don’t want you to cut your feet,” he said as he started for the parking lot. His hand slapped against my backside.
“Ouch! Why did you just smack me?”
“Because you, Maggie Valor, are a lot of trouble, and you deserve a few spankings.”
“I do not!” I hissed at him, and he swatted my ass again. “Damn it, Greg! Do not spank me again! Do you hear me?”
He laughed. I felt it radiate from his shoulder into my belly, and it slithered deep into my body, making parts of me unwantedly clench. Okay, so maybe not so unwantedly.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gregory
That woman was going to be the death of me. Why didn’t she tell anyone about this earlier? More importantly, why didn’t she just walk away from it in the first place? I knew that answer; Maggie couldn’t help herself.
I hadn’t seen this woman in nineteen years, but she hadn’t changed one damn bit. She was as headstrong as ever, putting her nose where it didn’t belong. She used to joke when we were younger that she had a nose for news, but I told her she had a nose for trouble.
I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh at her or put her over my knee and spank her. As I took her out to my truck, I didn’t have her over my knee, but my shoulder. I took advantage of the position to give her two swift smacks on the ass.
I knew if I could see her face, it would be beet red, and her eyes would be bulging with indignation. I carried her to the truck, unlocked it, and then began to lower her to the ground. Only as I put her feet down, her sinfully sweet body slipped over mine. My hands, which had been guiding her hips, pulled her closer to me. I should have been pushing her away—I knew it, knew I was asking for trouble—trouble that only Maggie could give me. Maggie’s eyes went wide, but not because she was angry, no. I saw passion sparkling within them; my eyes locked on her parted lips.
She squeezed my biceps as she leaned forward, our lips only a few millimeters apart, so close that I could taste her breath. “Maggie.” Her name fell off my tongue, just a heartbeat before my mouth was on hers. I pressed her back against my truck and plastered her body against mine. We kissed each other like we were drowning, as if we’d only find salvation in the other. The frustration of watching her move all day, or her determination, her grit inflamed me, and I was ready to tear her clothes from her body right here in the parking lot.
Someone laughed behind us. “Get a room before we need to arrest you two for public indecency.” I pulled away from the kiss and turned to see two cops walking toward a patrol car, smirking our way.
“Get in the truck,” I said to Maggie softly as I glanced down at her. Her lips were slightly red, her eyes glazed. “Let’s get you home.”
She nodded and climbed in without another word. We were almost home when she finally spoke.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being here for Mom and me.”
“You’re welcome, Maggie. But I have a question for you.”
She stared at my profile, and I peered at her momentarily. “Who got you out of trouble when I wasn’t around?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll have you know that I didn’t get in any trouble when you weren’t around.”
“So you saved this shit specifically for me? Isn’t that sweet of you.”
“Greg, I didn’t do this on purpose. You know that, right? I admit that I went a little off the rails by taking the car keys out of the ignition, but I swear that is not my norm.”
I chuckled. “Seems like the norm for the girl that I used to know.”
“I’m not that naïve little girl, Greg.”
“Sweetheart, you were never naïve. You have always had brass balls and a determination to do anything that you wanted to do. No one could ever pull anything on you.”
“You really think so?” she asked after a moment.
“Of course I do, Mags. You were the strongest wom
an I knew back then, one of the strongest women I know now.”
“Then you’re going to let me go with you on this delivery.”
“Maggie, you haven’t finished the courses.”
She laughed, and I glanced at her. “Seriously? Do you think that I’m not going to be able to pass the bookwork or firearms? Do you forget who you are talking to?”
“Maggie, I know that you can pass the tests, and you are probably a pretty good shot—most women who enjoy shooting are—but that doesn’t mean that you should be going.”
“Why not?”
I pulled my truck to the curb in front of her house. “Can we not do this right now? We need to go in so we can let Trevor and Davina go home.”
“Fine, but then you are going to answer the question, Greg.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
Maggie knocked on the locked door, and we waited. Trevor peered through the window and let us in. “How is she?” Maggie asked as soon as the door cracked.
“She’s fine, sleeping actually. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Trevor, I can’t thank you enough.”
Trevor put his hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her; if I didn’t know how much he loved Davina, I would be jealous as hell. “Davina and Devon did most of it. Come on, let me introduce them before we get out of your hair.”
Davina was putting Devon into his car seat when we came into the living room. “Maggie, this is Davina, and our little guy, Devon.”
Maggie glanced at the baby, smiled slightly, and then touched Davina’s arm. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad we were able to help. Your mom enjoyed playing with Devon and went up to bed about thirty minutes ago.”
“I’m going to go check on her. Thank you again. I owe you one.”
Maggie squeezed Trevor’s arm as she walked past him and then raced up the stairs.
“What happened?”
“You’re not going to believe this,” I said with a chuckle and then told him what Maggie had done and how the cops thought she was involved.
Trevor laughed. “Jesus, she’s a trip.”
“Yeah, she is. Thanks again for helping us out.”
“Us?”
“Her, okay, smart-ass.”
He slapped me on the back. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and we’ll discuss that rat problem at the range. Maggie’s still up for training tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, probably more than ever right now,” I muttered and saw them to the door.
In the kitchen, I pulled out a beer and twisted the top off, guzzling half of it as I leaned back against the counter. Maggie entered the room and came directly to me, pulling the beer out of my hand and drinking the rest while staring me in the eye. Damn—
I forced myself to stand still, torn between putting space between us or removing what little space we had.
“Why not, Greg?”
“Why not what, Maggie?”
“Why don’t you want me to go?”
“Because I don’t think it would be safe for you.”
“Bullshit!” she hissed and leaned slightly toward me. “You don’t want me to go because of what’s between us.”
“There is nothing between us, Maggie.”
One of her eyebrows hiked high, making her look so damn sexy. “You’re going to go there, Greg? You’re going to try and lie to me and tell me that there isn’t something going on between us?” She set the bottle down, stepping between my legs and brazenly putting her palm over my groin. Fuck. Me. “If there is nothing going on, why are you already getting hard?”
“Maggie, don’t do this.”
“Why, Greg? I know you want me. I want you too. Why shouldn’t we?” She rubbed her hand over my now throbbing erection. “We’re adults, Greg.”
I tried to stand up straight, but she pushed me back. “You’re not getting away until you talk to me, Greg.”
“Maggie, what do you want?” The question came out gruffly, and her eyes ignited with fire.
“You! Isn’t that obvious?”
I closed my eyes, hiding behind my eyelids, trying to find a way out of this. I knew that if I stepped over this line and kissed this woman again, I wouldn’t stop—not this time.
Maggie's chest pressed against mine; her lips brushed over my neck as the fingers of one hand flitted down the back of my neck, and the other hand pressed against my hard-on. “Admit it, Greg, you want this. You want me.”
I ground my teeth, fighting it with everything I could until she slipped her hand lower and cupped my balls, pressing the heel of her hand against my shaft.
“Admit it, Gregory Blaire, you want me as much as I want you.”
“No—more, Sweetheart. So damn much more!” I wasn’t aware that the words had left my lips until I saw the shock in her eyes as I speared my hand into her hair and pulled her toward me.
The kiss was explosive, and a second after it started, I was ridding her of the damn tight little t-shirt. I left her lips only long enough for the material of hers and mine to pass over our heads. I yanked the cup of her bra down so I could get to her breast, and I sucked the hard peak into my mouth as she wrestled with the button and zipper of my pants. I moved on to her other breast as she tugged at my jeans to get them off my hips.
I nipped her nipple, and she whimpered, her knees almost buckling, and I put my hands to her waist and peeled down her leggings and panties in a few swift pulls. I lifted her to the countertop, jerking the pants off her legs and throwing them to the side before latching back on her breast. Her hands were in my hair, then clawing at my back as she arched toward me.
She reached between us, grasping my shaft, and a shiver tore down my spine. I jerked her hand away, afraid that with as excited as I was, it would be over before it started. I fucking needed to taste this woman. I dropped to my knees, pushing her thighs further apart as I dove between her legs. She pressed my head closer, arching backward until she hit her head on the cabinet.
I devoured her, lost myself in her taste and the sounds that poured out of her mouth. I took her to the top, held her tightly as she fell over, and then I was on my feet, filling her as she clung to me and brought our mouths together. I rocked into her as she tensed around me, and we shattered together in an awe-inspiring moment.
For a few seconds, we held one another, and then she leaned back and said, “I told you.”
“Yeah,” I replied as I shifted away and bent to grab my pants that were around my knees. “And just because we had sex, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to let you go. Just the opposite.”
Her mouth flopped open. “What?”
I zipped my pants and looked around for my shirt, grabbing Maggie’s leggings off the floor and tossing them to her. “Exactly what I said, Sweetheart. Just because we had sex, it doesn’t mean you are going.”
“Greg, you can’t stop me from doing this if I pass everything.”
“Yes, I can.”
“Why would you do that? I just proved that you want me.”
I spun around on her and got in her face. “You proved that you are a good seductress, Mags. You’re a beautiful woman; of course, I wanted to have sex with you. Jesus, you’re fucking gorgeous, Maggie, and sexy as hell. That doesn’t mean that I want to work with you—travel with you. In fact, it means the fucking opposite. You’re a goddamn distraction, Maggie. You could get one of the other guys, or me, killed.”
Maggie jerked back, startled by my outburst. “I would not be a distraction.”
“Oh, really? Do you think that after that little dick tease, I could possibly resist not thinking about screwing you every which way I could? Come on, Maggie, be smart. Before this, every damn time I looked at you, all I could think about was being in you and having you scream my name. Now that I’ve had you, tasted you again, you think that is going to stop? Fuck no! It’s just going to be worse.”
I yanked my shirt over my head and glared at her. I knew I was a total asshole for this, but I coul
dn’t stop myself. I was laying my fear at her feet, and I hated myself for it.
“I can’t do my job if all I’m thinking about is how to get you naked, or wondering how many of the other guys want to do that themselves. You’re not going, Maggie, and that’s final.”
I didn’t give her a chance to respond as I spun around and hightailed it out of the house. The memory of her shocked face, beautiful naked body, and angry-as-a-viper eyes followed me out of the house and all the way home.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maggie
What just happened? I mean, what-the-living-hell just happened?
The front door closed; I heard his truck start, and then it accelerated away from my house, and still, I just sat there in shock.
Damn him! I jumped off the counter, trying to untwist my leggings and panties and then shoved my legs in before yanking my shirt over my head and punching my arms through the holes. I went to use the bathroom and then came back and sanitized every counter in the kitchen, pausing when I got to the counter where the box had been. Where did it go? Had Greg thrown the rat out? A rat—why a rat?
For about two seconds, I thought about calling Trevor, but I didn’t want to bother him again. I still didn’t even have Greg’s phone number. Damn him! I was going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out more about the stupid rodent.
I armed the alarm and went up the stairs to my room. The entire time I seethed over what Greg had said. Did he seriously only see me as a woman to screw? Was that all I was? Did he not feel anything for me? Was I a total idiot to want him to feel something for me? My god, I was. I was a fool.
I stood in the shower, so frustrated with myself that I wanted to scream. I had forced the issue tonight. If I hadn’t been so brazen, hadn’t pushed Greg into responding to me, maybe I could have found a way to get him to change his mind. Was it going to be possible to change it now?