“Taylor,” he barked. He shouldn’t be so surly but one look at the clock told him it was just past seven in the morning. He had a short shift today covering for a fellow officer that needed the afternoon off for a doctor’s appointment. Sam had been hoping to sleep in and then have more naked fun with Tabby before reporting for work.
“Hey Sam, did I wake you up?” The familiar voice of Buck made him sit up straight in bed. He’d been dreading this call.
“No worries. I’ve got things to do before I go in to work. What’s up?” Sam asked, although he knew perfectly well what this call was about. Everything that had seemed so perfect last night was about to end.
Sex had never been as good as it was with Tabitha Bartlett.
She stimulated him not just physically, but mentally as well. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and when they made love their bodies went up in flames. This was the kind of woman he’d been waiting for.
And now she would leave.
“Can you let Ms. Bartlett know her car is ready? I tried calling her cell but there was no answer.”
Tabby’s phone was tucked in her backpack which was still out in the living room. They’d been too dead to the world to hear it ring.
“Will do, Buck. Thanks for letting us know.”
Sam pressed the End button, placed the phone on the table, and picked up Tink giving her a scratch behind the ears. It crossed his mind for a moment not to tell Tabby what the call was about, but he quickly changed his mind. He’d already kept something from her once and she’d forgiven him. He wasn’t going to do it to her twice.
“That was Buck,” he began. Her sunny smile instantly fell. She knew what this meant as well as he did. “Your car is ready.”
“Oh. That’s good.” She sounded like he felt. Blindsided.
“I can take you there on my way to the station.”
Or I can keep you tied to the bed and ravish you regularly. Your choice.
“That’s fine. I, uh, guess we should get up and get going.” Tabby had pulled the covers up to her chin as if she was uncomfortable with what happened last night. He sure as hell didn’t want her feeling that way. Last night had been perfect and he wanted her to feel the same.
He placed Tink on the floor of the bedroom with a pat. “Good girl. Give Tabby and me a few minutes then I’ll take you for a long walk.”
Tink tore out of the room probably to find a squeaky toy or maybe finish her dinner from last night.
Sam wrapped his arm around her waist, letting his fingers glide over her warm, bare skin. Pulling her closer, he nibbled on her lips before capturing them in a kiss that he had planned to use to wake her up. Their mouths finally broke apart and he rested his forehead on hers.
“Good morning, Tabby.” Just saying it made Sam smile.
“Good morning, Sam.” Tabby was smiling too as if the phone call hadn’t happened. He played with her golden curls, twirling them around his fingers, and screwed up his courage. The worst thing she could say was ‘no’.
“Will you stay?” he asked. “Just one more day? Leave tomorrow instead. I only have a short shift. We can have a date night if you want. Or stay in. Whatever you decide. I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”
Her blue eyes looked suspiciously bright. “I’m not ready to say goodbye yet either. I’ll need to make a few calls, but…yes. I’ll stay another day.” Her lips drooped. “But I will have to leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.” Sam was only putting off the inevitable but he wouldn’t think about anything further than now. Their lives had only intersected for a few days but he wouldn’t forget them. “I’ll make breakfast and we’ll decide what we want to do today.”
“Do you have anything touristy in Springwood? Besides the cowboy, that is?” she teased.
Sam stroked his chin. “Hmmm, not really. Springwood is a pretty quiet town in general. The Ladies Auxiliary is hosting bingo at the Civic Center tonight. The big pot is five hundred bucks.”
Her eyes twinkled. “I haven’t played bingo since I was a kid. Can we go?”
Sam laughed at her delighted expression. He hadn’t expected her to embrace small town fun.
“We can. We’ll go out to dinner before and then bingo. How does that sound?”
“Like a date. What time do you have to be on duty?” Her hands were drifting down his stomach and his heart lurched in his chest.
“Eleven. Holy hell, woman, what are you doing?” His voice had gone hoarse as her fingers encircled his already hard cock.
“If you don’t know then I’m doing it all wrong.” Tabby giggled and her mouth followed her fingers making him suck in his breath at the first touch of her warm, wriggling tongue.
“Holy fuck,” he groaned as her lips wrapped around the head of his cock and his hand went to the back of her head, tangling in her long hair. Her head bobbed up and down while her tongue did tortuous things until his balls drew up and he couldn’t take it any longer. He was close to exploding. “Easy, honey. I’m not ready to come yet.”
He cupped her jaw and eased away from her hot mouth. She pouted as if he’d taken away a lollipop but he had something he hoped she’d like just as much. He slid his hand up her thigh and found a wet pussy waiting for him.
Sam used his thumb and rubbed circles around her clit while he pressed a finger inside her waiting cunt. Her muscles grabbed on and pulled him inside, hugging him tightly.
“Aw baby, so tight.”
“Sam. Yes. More,” Tabby panted, her body starting to flush. He continued playing with her button and felt it swell under the pad of his thumb. Leaning forward, he captured a rose tipped breast in his mouth, licking at the already puckered flesh. “Now, Sam. Now.”
Her tone was urgent and he didn’t hesitate. Snagging a condom from the bedside table, he positioned her on her hands and knees, pressing her thighs further apart. Balanced between her legs, he pressed forward into her wet and welcoming pussy in one stroke, groaning with pleasure. Her cunt gripped him as he began to fuck her faster and harder with each stroke.
Tabby pushed back with each thrust until Sam’s head buzzed and the pressure built at the small of his back. He leaned forward and kissed a trail up her spine before nibbling on her ear lobe.
“Are you ready, honey?”
Tabby’s eyes were closed, her head thrown back in abandon. She looked so damn beautiful Sam could barely speak. “Yes, Sam. Do it.”
He reached around and ran circles around her clit. Tabby stiffened as her orgasm hit her and screamed his name as her arms gave out. Her pussy clamped down on his cock and he simply couldn’t hold back any longer. His climax turned him inside out and he had to shut his eyes to keep the room from spinning. When it was over, he pulled her close to him, her head pillowed on his shoulder and her leg casually tossed over his.
Sam could feel the synchronized beating of their hearts as he caught his breath. He wanted to savor every minute with this woman, knowing it wouldn’t last long. It made him cherish the closeness that much more.
“You’re going to wear me out, honey.” Sam kissed the tip of her nose and was rewarded with a blinding smile.
“Same to you but you won’t hear me complain.” Tabby sighed and laid her hand on his chest, her fingers warm.
“I’m not complaining in the least. More like bragging, if the truth be known.” Sam wanted to climb onto the roof of his house and yell to anyone that would listen that Tabitha Bartlett was his woman.
His.
At least for one more day.
Tabby propped her head up on her elbow and her fingernail traced circles on his skin. “Want to brag about it, do you? Do I get to brag as well?”
“Honey, I’d love it. Feel free.” He’d never been with a woman who wanted to brag about him. He shouldn’t feel proud about it, but fuck it, he was.
Sitting up in bed, she looked around the room. “Where’s my phone? I can start by texting all my girlfriends. They love some hot gossip.”
He grabbed her and ro
lled her underneath him, both of them laughing. “I’m not through with you yet. When I’m done, you can call them and tell them what a stud I am.”
Sam loved hearing her laugh. “Deal. I’m all yours, Deputy.”
She really wasn’t but he wouldn’t think about that too hard. They’d enjoy the few hours they had left to the fullest. He levered out of the bed and scooped her up in his arms.
“Next stop? The shower,” he pronounced with a grin and headed to the bathroom. Getting clean with her was only one of the many things he had planned. He wouldn’t think about tomorrow until he absolutely, positively had to.
Chapter Eight
“You seem to be enjoying Springwood,” Dr. Madison Marks observed. Tabby and Sam were sitting with the doctor and her sheriff husband at a large table in the Civic Center. “We don’t get too many out of towners at bingo. But it is for a good cause.”
“I do like the town. Everyone is friendly and the pace here seems more relaxed,” Tabby observed. “I’ve visited too many places to count in my job and this is certainly one of the towns I’ve enjoyed the most.”
Of course the biggest reason she liked it was sitting right next to her, their thighs pressed close together. They’d spent the morning making love until Sam had to go on duty. While he’d worked, she’d called in to the office. Her parents had been fine with her staying on one more day as if they somehow understood her reluctance to leave. She had a few more stops on her itinerary that would take her up to Seattle where she would meet up with her sister.
The locations sounded fairly routine. As her mother had pointed out, the ghosts weren’t going anywhere. A day or two wasn’t going to make any difference. Tabby could enjoy this time with Sam without guilt.
“The town does have its…attractions.” Madison, as she’d begged Tabby to call her, grinned and looked back and forth between Tanner Marks and Sam. “There’s something about a man from the West that simply cannot compete with a guy from the city.”
Tabby wouldn’t argue there. She’d always thought she had a thing for a man in a suit but Sam clad in well-fitting denim with a western cut shirt, boots, and a cowboy hat damn near short-circuited her brain.
“I’m beginning to understand that,” Tabby agreed with a smile. “The men in this town are very manly.”
Madison giggled and linked her arm with her handsome husband’s. Sam and Tanner were deep in conversation about local drug dealing. “That is a major understatement. Are you going to be sticking around long?”
“No.” Tabby shook her head and tried to act like it wasn’t tearing her heart out. “I travel six months out of the year for a living so I’ll be getting back on the road tomorrow.”
Madison’s smile disappeared. “I didn’t realize you’d be leaving so quickly. That’s…too bad.” She leaned forward, her gaze darting to the men before coming back to Tabby. “Does Sam know?”
Tabby nodded, her throat starting to feel tight. “Yes. I actually should have left today but he convinced me to stay one more day.”
“And you wanted to,” Madison said knowingly. “I realize we don’t know each other well but you don’t seem happy about leaving. You don’t have to go, you know.”
“I do,” Tabby argued. “I have obligations. A career. I can’t just forget about them. How would I pay the bills? Besides, Sam hasn’t said he wants me to stay forever. He only asked for an extra day.”
And that little factoid had been bugging her all day. He’d asked her to stay one day. One day. Not even a few days or a week extra, and certainly not forever.
“Maybe he didn’t feel like he could ask you to stay any longer,” Madison reasoned.
“Maybe he just wanted—” Tabby broke off, not wanting to put it into words.
“A piece of ass?” Madison whispered, completing Tabby’s thought. “Believe me, if that’s all he wanted, he wouldn’t have any trouble getting it. He’s got women interested. Plenty of them. He barely looks. You’re the first in a long time to get his attention. I think he really cares about you, Tabby.”
She wanted to believe that. “I care about him too, but it hasn’t even been a week. It’s probably just infatuation.”
Madison’s brows rose. “Could be. You won’t find out if you’re not here though.”
“I don’t think this is meant to be,” Tabby said miserably. “The timing sucks. We’ve both got busy lives and careers. Heck, I’m supposed to be in Seattle in a couple of weeks.”
“Seattle?” Tanner stopped talking to Sam and turned his attention to her and Madison. “Did you mention Seattle? That’s where Maddie’s dad and stepmother live. We went to visit a few months ago. Nice city to visit. Too big for me though. I like having some elbow room.”
Sam sat back and draped his arm across Tabby’s shoulders. “Me too. Los Angeles had its good points but I missed the wide-open spaces.” He gazed down at Tabby and for a moment she thought she saw the same look in his eye as Tanner. “Is that where you’re heading?”
“Eventually.” Tabby didn’t want to talk about leaving. It made her depressed and sad that their time was running out. “I have some stops to make first. I’m meeting my sister there. We’re going to compare notes on locations and decide which to put on the show.”
He didn’t have time to reply as the large hall filled with people was called to order. The bingo began and her fellow players were competitive. With each successive game, townsfolk jumped up and yelled “Bingo” with such glee it made Tabby laugh and smile. Even if they only won a few dollars, everyone was jazzed just to be the winner. By the time the final pot of five hundred dollars was announced, the crowd was primed and ready to win.
The caller started reciting numbers and Tabby dutifully marked off each one. When he called out “B9” she reared back in her seat, looking at her card in disbelief. Sam put his hand on her shoulder, his brows drawn down in concern.
“Are you okay? Do you need some fresh air?”
The room was hot but she didn’t want to go outside at the moment. She pointed to her card.
“I won,” she whispered. “At least, I think I did.”
Sam’s face broke into a grin and he put up his hand. “We have a bingo here!” he said in a booming voice. Dozens of heads whipped around, craning their necks to see who had won the big jackpot of the night. Heat flooded her face and she wanted to crawl under the table. They might be upset that a stranger had won the big prize.
Ten minutes later, after they checked her card and confirmed her win, the caller was handing her ten crisp fifty dollar bills. His eyes were sparkling and his smile was wide when he took in her still shocked expression.
“You won, little lady. Congratulations! Hope it helps to pay off the damage to your car.”
“How did you know about that?” Tabby tilted her head in question.
The older man just laughed as he turned to go. “Not much secret in a town this size. Everyone knows about you and that you’re here because of Addie.”
“I still feel guilty winning though.” Tabby sighed and stared down at the money in her hand. She didn’t really need it. She was paid well by her parents’ company and even the deductible on the car insurance would be taken care of by them since it was a company car.
“Why?” exclaimed Madison. “You won fair and square.”
Tabby shrugged uncomfortably. “Someone local should have won.”
“You paid to play just like everyone else,” Tanner replied reasonably. “We all had an equal chance. You won. Simple as that.”
“Technically I didn’t pay. Sam did.” She tried to shove the bills into Sam’s pocket. “This money is really yours.”
Sam stepped back and captured her hand, guiding it back into her purse. “No way, honey. These are your winnings.” He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “But I will let you buy the coffee and dessert. How about it?”
He was as generous as he was handsome. “Sounds like a plan. Madison and Tanner, would you join us? It’s
on me.”
Tabby really liked being in the couple’s company. They were nice people who seemed to care not only for each other but for Springwood. Tanner pushed up the brim of his cowboy hat and nodded.
“That’s an offer I won’t refuse. Let’s head to the diner. I promise you they make the best chocolate cake in town.”
Madison’s eyes went big. “That fudge frosting is to die for.”
“Chocolate is my favorite,” Tabby replied with a smile. She could think of a few uses for fudge icing and they all had to do with licking it off Sam’s body. One look at his face and she knew he was thinking the same thing.
“Mine too.” His eyes were warm as they gazed at her, making her shift under the scrutiny. No one looked at her the way Sam did. He looked at her as if he couldn’t get enough. It was thrilling and scary all at the same time.
Sam linked his arm in hers and led her out of the center and onto the cold sidewalk. She’d had fun tonight. There hadn’t been a fancy nightclub or sophisticated friends talking about the latest gallery or restaurant opening. It had simply been a good time with friendly people.
And as much as she’d enjoyed the evening, she was ready to get Sam home. Tonight would have to last her a very long time.
Tabby and Sam rushed through coffee and dessert so quickly they may have been slightly rude to Madison and Tanner. Hurrying to eat their chocolate cake, Sam’s hand had wandered up Tabby’s inner thigh under the protective covering of the table. As his fingers played, she’d found herself increasingly unable to put sentences together in a coherent fashion. Eventually, he’d made their excuses and they’d dashed to his truck barely able to control themselves as Sam had driven the few blocks back to his bungalow.
Tabby dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and frantically pushed her coat off her shoulders. Sam was working on the fire and she tried to tamp down her impatience. By this time tomorrow, she’d be hundreds of miles away from here. Sure, they’d said they would keep in touch but that could just be talk. Tonight could be their last time together.
The Deputies: 3 Novella Box Set Page 15