by Sylvie Kaye
"Your mother home?” He eyed her in the sleepy, sexy way he had that made her pulse rush in her ears.
"You know darn well she's still at my sister Dianne's in Abilene, awaiting the birth of her first grandbaby."
"How would I know that?” He swung the gate opened and waited for her to go through first.
"Part of your mayoral job description is keeping abreast of everyone's whereabouts."
"In other words, listening to gossip.” He laughed, closed the gate, and followed her up the front walk onto the porch.
"Your sister home?” She was never sure how to broach the topic of his sister. She didn't want to sound as if she was seeking gossip about Gretchen, or the firebug and his plot to force Mercy Creek Ranch to sell, and yet she felt it was callous not to ask after her.
"She was going to come out with me tonight, but fell ill at the last minute.” He raised his hand to stop her from asking more. “Nothing serious. Too much sun."
"Tell her I asked after her.” Lili unlocked the front door. Luc headed for the sofa as soon as she lit the floor lamp. Obviously, the walk had been too much for him.
"Why don't you take off your boots? Beauticians give good massages. Has to do with the mandatory study of the skeletal system."
"You'll spoil me. I'll get hooked on your skills and forget about wanting your body.” He reached his hand out to her, and she stood in front of him, taking hold of his warm fingers. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"
She shook her head, pleased by his compliment.
"You look amazing in that dress. All I can think about is getting you out of it.” His voice was a murmur that thrummed through her blood, heating it, igniting her desire.
Oh, she knew where this would end. With a hot make out session that left them both unsatisfied and panting for more.
"Come here, Lili.” He patted the sofa cushion next to him.
He could've tugged her hand, and she would've fallen into his lap, but he gave her the lead. She hesitated. Met his intense gaze.
That was her undoing. His eyes were dark with desire, steamy with intention, unblinking in their determination. Her belly clenched with want. She collapsed onto the cushion beside him before her knees weakened, and she ended up on the carpet at his feet.
He cradled his arm around her shoulder, drew her to him and kissed her. His lips were hot and fierce. His mouth was demanding. He tasted of lime and lust. Soon as he stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue, moisture pooled between her thighs. Her breathing came in sighs.
She craved him like a chocoholic did a candy bar. She couldn't get enough of him fast enough. She stroked his shoulders, raked her fingers through his hair, bit his lip, and suckled his tongue.
He groaned and slipped the spaghetti straps of her sundress down. His fingers dragged across her skin, and her body shivered eager for his touch. When he tugged the top of her dress down to expose her breasts, she arched her back and pressed closer. Cupping her breast, he kneaded the swollen flesh. Her nipples peaked and hardened. Hot desire seeped through her.
Luc leaned back against the arm of the sofa and pulled her down on top of him. His hard body felt muscled and toned beneath the softness of her breasts and the cradle of her thighs.
When she hugged him around the neck and pressed her body tighter against his, he winced. “Am I hurting you? Your ribs? Your knee?"
"Most of my pain is centered in between those two areas."
"Here?” She ground her crotch into his groin. His fly bulged with his need, his erection rigid and evident. She notched her cleft against him and rode him, the friction delicious.
"I want you, Lili,” he moaned.
"I want you, Luc.” She pulled her head back and stared into his eyes. “But I won't allow myself the pleasure. If I have you, I may never be able to leave you."
He tangled his fingers through her curls and cupped the back of her head. “That would be my hope."
And her downfall.
He drew her close, his mouth a fraction from hers. His breath felt warm and moist against her lips. “I need you.” He kissed her long and hard as if branding her with his mouth. His lips were firm and demanding. She gave back as good as she got until she gasped for air, and he released her.
Grabbing her wrist he placed her hand on his fly. “Feel how much I need you."
She'd never fisted his arousal in her hand, never even unzipped him. Tonight she did. Maybe the pep talk from the ladies in the salon urged her on, or maybe she did need to feel how much he desired her.
He felt hot and rigid against the palm of her hand. She tightened her hold and stroked him, up and down, up and down. His smooth skin and stiff muscle were sensuous to the touch. He closed his eyes and his breath was labored.
With a groan, he stopped her. “I want to come with you, not for you. I can give myself a five-finger happy ending. Hell, I'm used to leaving here and going home to a cold, soapy shower."
"I ... I can't. I feel as if I'm betraying myself. It's difficult to explain.” She closed her eyes, unable to witness the hurt in his eyes.
"Look at me, please.” When she opened her eyes, his were blazing like bronze flames. “You're mine. Make no mistake,” he said in a whisper. “I'll wear you down."
"I think I have a say in that.” She bucked up her chin, rolled off him and came to her feet.
Standing next to the side chair, she braced her hand along its back, seeking support. Her legs still wobbly from their love play.
Luc stood up, zipped, and ruffled his hair. “I should go.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek and bid her good night as he limped away.
She followed him to the front door and when he faced her beneath the porch light, his eyes were no longer glazed with desire. They were soft and brown and serious.
"Lili Marlene, I'll have you,” he swore and hobbled down the porch steps.
She couldn't say if his difficulty walking was because of his knee or his erection.
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Chapter Four
Damn. Luc had meant to ask Lili to the Rotary dinner on Sunday. But he'd gotten too caught up in the heat of things. Mostly the heat between her sweet thighs. When she'd touched his arousal, he'd thought he'd shoot. Only sheer will had kept him in control.
Just as well that he'd forgotten to ask her to the dinner. Lili always refused. Used the rubbery chicken as her excuse.
He decided to force, no, make that ask, Gretchen to accompany him instead. It was about time she faced the town. His sister hadn't left the property even to attend church. The preacher came out to the house or phoned in his blessings and wisdom. Bad practice to Luc's way of thinking. The man should be encouraging her to get out, not enabling her to stay hidden.
In his opinion, no one was as judgmental as her preacher. The man was too self-righteous for Luc's liking.
"Hey, Gretch.” He knocked at her bedroom door at four o'clock on Sunday afternoon. “I'd like to talk to you."
She cracked the door open, peeked out, looking disheveled and depressed. “Need something?"
He nodded. “A date for the Rotary dinner tonight. And don't say you ate already because I know you haven't."
She started to close the door, but he stuck his boot in the opening.
"Don't make me get nasty,” she warned, banging the door against his instep.
"Gretch, if I have to dress you myself, you're going.” He shouldered the door open and stepped into the room. Yanking her closet open, he flipped through the hangers. A green dress caught his eye and he snatched it from the hanger and jammed it into her arms. “Wear this."
"I will not.” She crossed her arms, challenging him to a stand off.
"You will or I'll put an article in the personal column of the local newspaper,” he bluffed. “Lost love. Searching for Thad Lowry. Call Gretchen."
"You wouldn't.” Her eyes rounded.
He nodded, even though he wouldn't. “I would."
"I'm your sister."
"Yes, and I'm the mayor and the guest speaker."
"That's exactly why it's so humiliating. You're a public figure and everyone knows our business. They all know I fell hard in a short time for a man who burns barns."
"You know the Rotary members and their spouses. Which one of them would say something mean-spirited to you?"
She paused, picked her thumbnail. “Nobody."
"This is the opportune time to make your debut. Surrounded by good folks like those in the Rotary. Once you see no one blames you for being human, you can gradually take on the town. With me by your side."
"Fine.” She capitulated, but gave him an ultimatum. “If I say it's time to leave, we leave. Speech or no speech."
He pecked her on the cheek. “Deal."
Later, once she was dressed and groomed and looking like a semblance of the attractive woman she was, they tooled down the road in his truck. He glanced at her. “Did you know Hitch Lawrence moved to Wayback, and he and Lyssa are an item?"
A flicker of her old self gleamed in her eyes at the mention of her nemesis. Gretch and Lyssa had been vying for the same guys since high school. The rivalry between their womanly wiles was sheer enjoyment to watch. The flirting, the catty remarks, the strategic moves and touches. He'd learned plenty about females growing up around those two.
Too bad none of it came in handy where Lili was concerned. She was in a category all her own.
When they entered Telli's Steak Barn where the meeting was held in the side room, to Luc's disappointment Hitch wasn't there. He'd hoped the man would take his sister's mind off her troubles. Unfortunately, the preacher was on hand to give the invocation prayer. He scrambled over to Gretch, and singled her away from the herd like an experienced cattle rustler.
While Luc discussed the pros of the additional police and equipment with the president of the Rotary and a few members of the city council who were present, he kept an ear on Gretch's conversation with the preacher.
"What are you doing here?” the preacher asked her. “Do you think it's wise? I can drive you home. We should continue to keep our religious instruction and your donations private."
Aha. So the preacher was taking advantage of his sister in her fragile state of mind. Between her grief for their father and the betrayal by that asshole, Thad Lowry, she was vulnerable.
"Excuse me a moment.” Luc stepped in between the preacher and Gretch. “I sign all the checks. Stop by my office any time,” he dared. Then he asked his sister for her support on the police issue and returned to his discussion with Gretch on his arm.
Surprisingly, she took to the subject of public safety like a calf to its mama's teat. “If the police were more hands-on with the school students, arranging talks from K through twelfth grade at the school about safety and drugs and self defense, we could win more parental support for our police department."
"Why don't you spearhead a committee,” Luc suggested, and she spent the rest of the evening mingling and hand picking members.
The preacher left before the fruit cup.
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Chapter Five
On Monday morning, Lili mopped the floor while Suzie wiped down the styling chairs, leaving the shop sparkling and smelling antiseptic clean. Mondays the salon was usually closed, but both beauticians had perms booked—which took time to roll onto small curlers so they did them on off days.
When they finished cleaning, they each plopped onto a swivel chair, sharing lattés from the diner and girl talk before their appointments arrived.
"How did your Saturday night go with Luc at The Blue Bug?"
"About as expected. Hot kisses and cold showers.” Lili blew on her steamy latté, the hazelnut aroma tickling her nose.
"Not ready for the temporary adventure Della recommended?"
"Not yet.” She shook her head. “How about you? How's your love life these days?” Suzie had broken off a long engagement with a local cowboy who'd been lured away by the glory of the rodeo circuit.
"I'm taking a break. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eye out for a steady, reliable man like the mayor."
Lili's gut wrenched at the idea of Luc with someone else. And yet, when she was gone, he'd have to move on.
Suzie's eyes crinkled with her laughter. “You should've seen your face. You're fooling yourself if you think you don't have feelings for Luc."
"Shoot.” Lili licked the foam from her latté, the froth sweet and cinnamony.
"What are you going to do about them?” Suzie waggled her foot, her red cowboy boot high-polished and flirty.
"Darned if I know."
"How come you're so bound and determined to get out of Wayback? I sort of like it here. Everyone's friendly. Everyone knows my name."
"I saw how my mother got trapped here because she loved my dad, and he loved ranching and Wayback. She's visiting Dianne in Abilene, helping out while my sister's pregnant. It's the first time Mom's stepped foot out of Wayback in fifty years."
"Why didn't she take a vacation or a sightseeing bus trip to one of the big cities after your dad passed on five years ago? God rest his soul."
"She had back problems by then. But when she was younger she dreamt about going abroad. Sad how it turned out."
"Living here doesn't mean you can't take vacations or see other places. Although I don't recall Luc going away on vacation."
"Exactly. My sister only ended up in Abilene because a relative of Judd's died and left him a hotel."
"I'm pretty sure Luc and Gretch are the last of the Fremont line. No living relatives here or out of Wayback.” Suzie sipped at her drink. Her warm blue eyes peering over the rim of the paper cup held sympathy.
"That aside,” Lili said, “the mayor of a town doesn't live elsewhere."
* * * *
Suzie finished her customer first, and Lili stayed behind to wash the perm rods and lock up the shop. There was little sense in both of them breathing in the bite of perm solution any longer than they had already.
The bell over the door tinkled, and she looked up from the sink expecting to see Luc with an invite to lunch. Instead, a tall rangy cowboy, Stetson pulled low on his forehead, shadowed the inside of the door.
"Sorry. We're closed.” She smiled but hesitantly. A chill crawled up her spine at seeing a stranger in town on a Monday. Even the slow-moving cowboys usually lit out by Sunday afternoon once they'd sobered up.
He shut the door behind him. The click of the lock sounded loud in the quiet shop. Her heart pounded out a warning.
She wiped her hands on a towel and slid the plastic squeeze bottle with the leftover perm solution off the sink. Squirting it at him, she scooted toward the phone. He dodged, and the liquid hit his shoulder. In one long stride, he stepped in front of her, his body formidable.
Despite his threatening figure, this might be her last chance to act. She made a quick lunge and grasped for the phone. With a quicker lunge, he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back.
She went still. His breath smelled of onions and panted hot on her neck. The perm solution saturating the upper sleeve of his shirt stung her eyes. He pinned her arm high and snug against her back.
"Scream and I'll break your arm,” he threatened.
Pain shot up through her shoulder, making it difficult to concentrate. She clamped her jaw tight and forced her willpower to take hold. She refused to think about the hurt or to give up. She needed to do something.
Lifting her booted foot, she stomped on his instep with her heel. He laughed and didn't budge.
His thick skin didn't deter her. In quick succession, she kicked his shin, heard him yelp, and butted his groin with her hip.
He buckled some, but straightened and whipped his arm around her waist. Pulling her tight against him, he rubbed his seemingly unhurt groin against her rear end, slow and suggestive.
"Do that again and we're going to become real intimate."
He walked them backward, toward the register. “Open i
t."
Relieved that he meant to rob her instead of molest her, she groped with her free hand and pushed buttons. Her fingers fumbled, and she pressed them again.
"Hurry,” he barked.
"I can't see the keys."
He turned her, but crammed his chin against the side of her face. His rough beard scratched her cheek and her temple. She sidled a peek through her eye, which was squashed against his hard jaw, and managed to hit the right combination of numbers. The register drawer opened with a ding.
"Is that all?” His voice sounded low like a growl.
She held her breath. Don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. Not knowing his intentions, she prayed the mantra silently, afraid to voice it out loud and give him ideas.
His fingers grappled for the bills in the drawer and jammed the small wad of money into his pocket. He shoved her up against the desk with such force her knees buckled and her breath sputtered out of her. She clasped the edge of the desk to stay on her feet.
With his arm, he cuffed her on the back of the head. She went down, unable to hold herself upright.
He laughed, the bell jangled, and a man's voice shouted, “Get the hell away from her, you no good son-of-a-bitch."
Luc.
Boots scuffled, punches landed with thuds, the men grunted. Poor Luc, his injured ribs and knee. She managed a slow scramble to her feet to help him, but was too late. The intruder body-slammed him in the gut, and Luc crumpled onto his bad knee. He shook his head from side to side, as if to regain his equilibrium while the thief bolted toward the door.
When Luc would've forced his way up, she dropped to her knees in front of him, and held onto his shoulders. “Let him go for now."
Behind her, the door stuttered against the wall, the bell tinkling, over and over. The cheery sound belied the grim situation.
"He's gone,” she gushed, letting go of Luc's shoulders and collapsing alongside of him.
A welt swelled on his cheekbone, and she lifted her hand and fluttered her fingers over it, gently. “Are you all right?"
"Yeah,” he grunted more than spoke the obvious lie. He coughed several times and got to his feet, unsteady and holding his ribs.