by Mandy Baxter
Was it wrong to want to give Naomi the benefit of the doubt? It showed that insufferable nice guy side of Noah that he was willing to offer himself an explanation that would inevitably make Naomi the victim. She might not have had a criminal record, but that didn’t mean she was innocent. Damn it, he needed to get to the bottom of this before he drove himself crazy. Doubt ate away at him. Concern for her knotted his gut. As he put the truck in park and hopped out, he decided that he wasn’t leaving here tonight until she told him every single secret she’d kept from him.
“Hey there!” Naomi greeted him with a bright smile that sent an electric rush through Noah’s bloodstream. “You’re right on time. I just took a brisket out of the smoker for tomorrow’s sandwiches. Want me to cut you off a few slices?”
The way to Noah’s heart was through good barbeque and she knew it. “Sure.” There was no use in marching through the door and interrogating her. Noah needed Naomi to trust him. He needed to ease her into opening up to him. “I’ll sit at the bar if that’s okay.”
Naomi’s eyes widened with her grin. “Really? Not worried about what people will say?”
Normally, Noah would never sit at the bar. But since he was off duty and in plain clothes, he figured it would be safe enough to sit there. Besides, Naomi was always stationed at the bar. He couldn’t have a real conversation with her unless he sat there.
“I’ll risk it tonight,” he said as he perched atop one of the high stools.
“You drinking?” Naomi tucked a violet-streaked lock of hair behind one ear as she plucked a bottle of Tito’s from the top shelf.
Damn, he needed a drink. But in a town as small as Sanger, one drink would amount to him stumbling out of the bar completely shit-faced once the story made its way through the gossip mill. “I’ll have a sweet tea.”
Naomi’s smile lost a little of its shine. “Mind if I drink?”
* * *
Noah’s shrewd, hazel gaze narrowed. “Rough day?”
She recovered her sour expression with a wink. “No rougher than any other.”
Noah’s lips thinned and Naomi’s stomach twisted into an anxious knot. She swore he could see right through her. “You got another phone call today, didn’t you?”
The man didn’t miss a beat. She’d tried to keep up appearances. Wanted him to think that life had gone back to normal after her run-in with Jack last week. Despite her smile and flirty banter, Noah saw past the façade. It was one of the things she liked best about him. And also one of the things that would probably get her into deeper trouble than she already was.
She had enough man problems right now, thank you very much.
Naomi dropped some ice and poured a shot of vodka into a copper cup. She finished it off with a little ginger beer and a squeeze of lime before swirling it all around and taking a healthy swallow. It was going to take more than a Moscow mule to calm her nerves at this point.
“Not sure what you mean. I get calls all day long,” she said with a laugh. “Sort of comes with the business.” She grabbed a tall glass and filled it with ice and sweet tea for Noah. He took the glass from her outstretched hand. His fingers grazed hers and Naomi drew in a tight breath from the electricity of the contact. Her heart beat a mad rhythm in her chest and her lower abdomen clenched. Every second spent in Noah’s company only served to further unravel her. What would he think of her if he knew the truth?
“Naomi.” Noah’s serious tone sent a shiver of trepidation down her spine. “I think we need to talk.”
No, they didn’t. As far as she was concerned, they had nothing to say to each other that didn’t have to do with the food or the iced tea. She took another swig from the copper mug before setting it down on the bar with a little too much force. The bell in the service window chimed and Naomi let out a sigh of relief for her reprieve, however short it might be.
“That’s your brisket,” she said. “I’ll be back in a jiff.”
The ten-foot trek to the kitchen was far too short. A nice long walk to Oklahoma would have been better.
“You look like you’re about to swallow your tongue.”
Naomi turned a caustic eye on Carl as she snatched the plate with Noah’s dinner. “Glad to see my discomfort is a source of entertainment for you. Did you tell Noah that I was getting threatening phone calls?”
“I’m not entertained,” Carl replied. His dark brown eyes shone with concern and his weathered lips puckered. “Yeah, I told him. I know you’re tough and can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t mean you should have to. I’m hopin’ you’ll let go of that stubborn streak long enough to let the sheriff help you.”
Naomi’s stomach knotted and she swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. “Help me with what?”
Carl scoffed. “I was born at night, but it wasn’t last night. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, you’re gonna need help gettin’ out of. You’re a good girl, Naomi. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
That made two of them. Truth was, she’d spent most of the day trying to calm her frazzled nerves. Jack had called her every day this week with not-so-gentle reminders of what she owed and what would happen to her if she didn’t come up with the cash by the end of the month. She might as well owe fifty million. The bar wasn’t turning a solid profit yet and even if she sold her car and emptied out her bank account, she’d only have about ten thousand dollars to offer up to him when he came back to collect. Hardly enough to satisfy those bloodthirsty bastards she’d been stupid enough to do business with.
“You think I’m a good girl, Carl?” It was stupid, but those words meant a lot to her. Most of her life, Naomi had only ever thought of herself as a screwup.
“I know you are, kiddo.” His affectionate smile caused her chest to ache. “Everyone makes a mistake now and then.”
Problem was, Naomi’s bad decisions far outweighed her good ones. “I’ll think about talking to Noah.” No use confirming what he already knew. “Thanks, Carl.” She grabbed a set of silverware and headed back toward the bar.
Noah stabbed his straw down into his iced tea over and over again. It wasn’t an angry gesture, more contemplative. He stared at some far-off point. His strong jaw squared and his brow furrowed as though he fought some internal battle. The muscles in his forearm flexed with every downward stab of the straw. Noah Christensen was too damned good to be true. So handsome it was almost painful to look at him. She had no doubt that he’d try to help her if he knew what she’d gotten herself into. Noah was the most honorable man she’d ever met. But really, what could he possibly do? She’d borrowed money from dangerous people. People who wanted their loan repaid. Aside from him cutting a check she knew a small-town sheriff couldn’t cover, there wasn’t much he could do to help her.
Her secrets would have to stay secrets. Sorry, Carl. I’m on my own for this one.
“Here you go.” Naomi plastered a cheerful smile on her face and set the plate and silverware down in front of Noah. “Carl’s trying out a new recipe for the beans. Let me know if you like it.”
Noah grabbed a fork and dug into the beans first. “They’re great,” he said without any real enthusiasm. “Even better than the last batch.”
“Excellent!” She might have gone a little over the top with her own excitement, but she hoped that she could do something to derail Noah’s plans to talk to her about whatever the hell it was he thought they needed to talk about. “I’m more interested in what you think about the brisket, though. I whipped up a dry rub yesterday that I think is pretty fantastic. I smoked that sucker for nineteen hours, too. It might be the best one I’ve ever done.”
Noah stabbed the brisket with his fork. Dang, it was a wonder he didn’t take a piece of the plate off as well. He shoved the bite into his mouth and chewed. “It’s good, too.”
“Jeez, don’t get too excited, Sheriff,” Naomi said with a nervous laugh. His agitation with her caused a tingle to travel up the length of her arms and settle at the base of her neck. “I’d
hate for you to have a heart attack right here at the bar.”
“Everything you cook is great,” he continued in that same insufferably deadpan tone. “Obviously, since I eat here almost every night.”
Naomi grabbed her drink and drained it in a couple of swallows. She reached for the bottle of Tito’s, more than ready for round two, minus the ginger beer. Noah’s arm shot out and he gripped her wrist before she could get ahold of the bottle.
She should have been scared. Or at the very least, shaken up by his sudden assertiveness. Instead, a thrill chased through Naomi’s bloodstream. The sharp lines of his expression gave him a decidedly dangerous edge. The hold he had on her wrist wasn’t painful. Instead, he exercised just enough of his strength to let her know who was in control. And his hazel gaze, piercing in its intensity, told her that from here on out, he wasn’t going to put up with her games.
This was a side of Noah she’d never seen. And damn, did she ever like it.
“I want to know how you got mixed up with Jackson Fletcher,” Noah said. “And don’t even think about lying to me. Understand?”
FIVE
She could try to deflect all she wanted. Feed him delicious barbeque, make small talk, flirt. Work her charm with that seductive smile and warm, honeyed voice. But Noah was through playing games. He wasn’t going to let her distract him. He was going to help her … whether she wanted him to or not.
The smile melted from her expression and her wide gray eyes glistened with unshed tears. Noah cursed under his breath as he relaxed his grip on her wrist and then let it go completely. He hadn’t wanted to scare her. Hell, she was already scared enough. Being the nice guy wasn’t getting him anywhere with her, though. It was time to switch up his tactics.
“Jackson who?” Naomi’s cheeks flushed with color. “I’m not sure who you’re talking about, Noah.”
He let out a slow sigh. Damn it. She certainly wasn’t going to make this easy on him, was she? “I know he’s the guy that roughed you up last week. And I know he’s involved with a crime syndicate in Dallas. Men like that don’t blow through a small town and hold up the local bar for what’s in the register.”
“Noah—”
“Don’t.” He leaned over the bar until only a few inches separated them. He lowered his voice for Naomi alone. “Don’t play games with me. I know you’re in trouble. I want to help you. Damn it, let me.”
“I can’t talk about this right now.” Her voice hitched on a breath and tears pooled in her eyes. She swiped them away before they could fall down her cheeks. A shuddering breath left her lungs as she straightened and looked Noah dead in the eye. “Later, after I close up for the night. Okay?”
It might’ve been another attempt at deflection, but at this point, Noah would take what he could get. “Fine. I’ve got a hot meal, a cold drink, and all the time in the world. I’m not going anywhere.”
She gave him a wan smile. “You seem pretty sure of that. You might change your mind.”
The sadness in her words cut through him. What in the hell could she possibly be mixed up in that would make her so sad and so afraid? So sure that it would push him away. And why did Noah want to beat the bastard who’d stirred that sadness and fear to a bloody pulp? Oh, right, he was fucking crazy about her. That’s why.
What a mess.
He should have handed the matter of Naomi’s attempted assault over to Ali to investigate. He was too close, his feelings for Naomi too deep already. How could he possibly be impartial when all he wanted to do was protect her?
Noah’s mood continued to plummet with every passing hour. He barely tasted his dinner and was on his fifth sweet tea of the night when the last straggling patrons filtered out of the bar. And still, Naomi kept her distance. She cleaned up, chatted with Carl, stacked chairs on top of tables as though Noah wasn’t even there.
Naomi would learn soon enough that Noah was a stubborn son of a bitch. He’d told her he wasn’t going anywhere until they talked and he meant it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Noah looked up at the sound of Carl’s voice. His eyes locked with Naomi’s and her expression transformed from casual dismissal to sheer terror. She wasn’t scared of Noah, though. He knew that what had her spooked was coming clean about what was going on and that did nothing to calm his already frazzled nerves.
The door closed behind Carl and Naomi let out a slow sigh. “Noah, it’s late. Can we talk tomorrow?”
The exhaustion and stress in her tone wasn’t faked. Even so, Noah couldn’t give her an inch. “No, I think we’d better talk now.”
“Why do you even care about what’s going on with me?” Her harsh tone cut through the silence. “Some guy jumped me. Big deal. It’s not as though something like that never happened to me in Dallas. And I can guarantee you the cops didn’t give a shit about it then. It’s over and done with. Just let it go, okay? Jesus.”
Naomi thought if she got angry, acted like the tough girl, Noah would cave and leave her alone. That wasn’t going to happen. “I don’t give a shit what the Dallas PD does or doesn’t do. This is my county. My town. Nothing you say or do is going to convince me that Jackson Fletcher showing up here was random. You’re going to come clean with me Naomi, whether you like it or not.”
Naomi’s brow furrowed. She chewed the inside of her cheek before she let out a frustrated breath. “You know what, Noah? You’re a bossy asshole.”
Noah crossed the room to where she stood. For the first time since they’d met he felt like shaking some sense into her. “Keep pushing my buttons, Naomi. It’s not going to keep me from getting to the bottom of what’s going on.”
Her jaw squared and indignant fire lit her gray eyes, like a lightning storm on a summer night. Beautiful. “Mind your own business, Sheriff.”
“You are my business.”
Naomi’s eyes went wide. “The hell I am!”
“You’re a constituent in my county. What happens to you is absolutely my business.”
Naomi scoffed. Noah hated to admit it, but she was doing a damn fine job of getting under his skin. “Anyone ever tell you that you sound like an evil dictator?”
He fixed her with a stern glare. “Every day.”
She stalked past him. Noah reached out and grabbed her upper arm to stop her. “What did Fletcher want from you, Naomi?”
She pulled her arm free with a jerk. “None of your damn business, that’s what.”
“Are you involved in something illegal?”
Her eyes went wide. “You’d be the last person on the planet I’d tell if I were.”
She’d pushed his buttons and Noah pushed right back. This wasn’t getting them anywhere. “Don’t make me find out on my own.”
“Please, Noah.” Naomi’s voice trembled. “Let it go.”
The vulnerability in her words and frightened expression broke him. He closed the distance between them in three purposeful strides. His arms went around her waist and he hauled her body against his. Naomi’s mouth went slack and he couldn’t resist the invitation of her soft, full lips.
He’d thought about kissing her every day for the past six months. Imagined what it would feel like. She was heaven and hell, the sweetest self-inflicted torture. And even though he knew blurring the lines between wanting to help her and simply wanting her wasn’t a good idea, Noah did nothing to stop it.
Tiny sparks of electricity ignited over Noah’s body with each caress of their lips. His cock hardened to stone behind his fly and he groaned as he pressed his hips against Naomi’s. Her arms came up to wind around his neck and she scraped her nails along the nape, coaxing chills to the surface of his skin. Noah couldn’t get enough of her. Wanted more. He’d lost himself to Naomi Davis and there was no going back.
* * *
Naomi’s head swam. Her senses were awash with Noah: his scent, taste, the firm command of his lips on hers. He gripped the back of her neck and pressed his body against her as he deepened the kiss. His tongue thrust past her
lips in a sensual caress that made her thighs quake.
Her attempts to put distance between them had been a futile effort. Noah had artfully deflected her anger and hurtful words, refusing to let her erect that wall she’d been so desperate to build. He’d shattered her defenses the second his lips met hers. How could she possibly put him at arm’s length now when all she wanted to do was pull him closer?
They stumbled backward until Noah’s back met the wall. Naomi reached up and raked her fingers through the close-cropped hair at the base of his neck. Noah moaned and the sound rippled through her, settling in a deep throb between her legs. He gave a gentle thrust of his hips and the length of his erection pressed against her. Naomi’s breath caught as a molten rush of pure lust shot through her.
What had started out as a slow burn grew frantic. She couldn’t kiss him deeply enough as her mouth slanted across his. She couldn’t get close enough as she pressed her body against him. Naomi groped for his belt, ripping it free from the buckle before tugging loose the button of his jeans. If she didn’t get her hands on bare flesh, she was going to go out of her damned mind.
“I want you.” Noah’s murmured words against her mouth only added fuel to Naomi’s fire. “I’ve wanted you for too damned long.”
They’d skirted their mutual attraction for months and it had taken an actual crisis to bring them together. That sort of instant combustion could be dangerous, Naomi knew that. And yet, as Noah’s tongue slid against hers in a warm, wet caress, she couldn’t be bothered to worry about the consequences of what had sparked between them.
What was one more mistake in a lifetime of bad decisions?
Naomi worked down the zipper of Noah’s jeans. He sucked his breath in on a hiss as she slid her hand past the waistband of his boxers and stroked the length of his cock. “Oh god,” he said on a groan. “Fuck, that feels good.”
Naomi tucked away the smug satisfaction that she could affect him with so little contact. If that was enough to make him groan, she could only imagine his reaction when she put her mouth on him. She wanted to see the usually tight-laced sheriff come completely undone.