A low moan rose in her throat when he took one of her earlobes between his teeth and nipped, then tongued it to take away the sting. Her fingers dug into the collar of his uniform. “My ears are really sensitive.”
“So I see,” he murmured. “I find that very interesting. Another thing I happen to like about you.” And he lightly bit down on her earlobe again.
Luanne whimpered, her hips rocking in reaction to the pulse of heat that flared once more. When he gently licked her earlobe again, she thought she’d go mad with the sensation. Of course, that was before he moved to the shell of her ear and began to trace it with the tip of his tongue. Her nipples were rock-hard in response to his touch, and she arched her back, pushing against his chest.
“Touch me, Hank. Touch me everywhere.”
His hand left her ponytail and she felt his tongue slide against her ear again just as his other hand slid under her tank top, resting on her belly.
That wasn’t good enough. Luanne moved a hand to rest over his and directed him to her breast, sighing with relief when he cupped her through her bra.
“You feel so good in my arms, Luanne,” he murmured into her ear, then sucked on her earlobe again. His thumb grazed over the tip of her breast, teasing her nipple. “Maybe you believe me when I say that I’m crazy about you.”
“I…might need more convincing.” The words gasped out of her as he pinched her nipple through the fabric, and she ruined her ballsy statement with another low moan. “Oh my god, Hank. You—”
Footsteps sounded on the pavement a few feet away. They broke apart like guilty teenagers, Hank quickly sliding over to the far side of the car just as Stewart knocked on the car window and peered down at them.
“Everything okay?”
Luanne gave him a thumbs-up, sure that her face was bright red, and hoping desperately that her nipples weren’t visible through her tank top.
He motioned for her to roll down the window, so she started the car and then jammed a finger on the button until the window went down. And then Stewart passed her a printout of a photo of her in her Jane gear. “Can you sign this for my grandkids?”
She took the Sharpie he offered her and quickly signed, handing it back to Stewart with a smile. The moment with Hank was gone, which made her sad. Now that the picture of Jane had come up, she didn’t know how he’d react. And she didn’t look over at him until Stewart was gone.
Hank’s ears were bright red. “I didn’t realize we were in front of the station house still.”
A distracted Hank was sexy. She grinned and ran a finger lightly under his collar. “You say you’re not adventurous, but you almost got to third base in front of the police station. I’d say that’s pretty adventurous.”
“Third base? Since when did third base become your breast?”
“Who said we were stopping at my breast?” She winked at him and put the car in reverse. “But I suppose you want to go fishing now, right?”
“Who the hell is thinking about fish at a time like this?”
She grinned.
* * *
They only fished for a few hours before Hank began to nod off, exhausted from his night of work. She drove him back to his house and tucked him into bed, tugging off his boots and turning off all the lights before she left. He’d tried to drag her down into bed with him for a cuddle, but she’d resisted, though it was sweet of him.
Truth was, she had too much to accomplish, the perfect time to do it was while Hank was asleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Thank you again, sir, for volunteering to be on camera.” Luanne wiped a stray bit of glitter out of one eye and adjusted one of her striped kneesocks, camera clutched firmly in hand. “You’ve been a great help.”
The kid—Bobby—pocketed the money she’d given him and smiled in a way that he probably thought was seductive, except for the fact that he was seventeen if he was a day. “I’m glad I can help. I’m a big fan of yours.”
“Thank you. That’s sweet.”
“I mean it. You ever need anything else done around here, you just call me. I’m happy to guest star.”
She paused, thinking. She was already all dressed up as Jane and had a willing volunteer. The sun was just now going down, and she had footage for her chupacabra episode that included a “trail” and sightings, and an in-depth interview with a kid who was clearly lying through his teeth but made for a good video segment. She could shoot a chupacabra “encounter” with her night-vision camera some other night.
But for tonight, if she had help, why not kill two birds with one stone? She checked the amount of battery life in her camera—still good. And she had the planks and rope in her car. Luanne glanced over at Bobby. “Don’t suppose you know anything about crop circles?”
“I don’t,” he said eagerly. “But I know a dude with a sorghum field just a few miles away that’s totally ready to be mowed down.”
Perfect. “Lead on, then.”
* * *
Hank was just getting out of the shower when his phone rang. He yawned and headed to the receiver, peering at the caller ID. The county sheriff’s office. Damn. What now? He picked up the phone. “This is Hank.”
“Hank? It’s me, Rick Brannan. Sorry to be bothering you.”
“It’s okay. It’s my day off.” He scratched his still-damp chest, yawning. Hell. Just the person he didn’t want to be talking to today. Rick sometimes called him to take a speed patrol shift on the highway when he was short a guy for the weekend, and Hank always covered for him. Except, tonight he didn’t want to. Tonight he wanted to see Luanne’s smiling face again. Maybe they’d go out for a late dinner—or an early breakfast. “Just woke up. You need me to take a shift or something? Because I don’t know—”
“Ain’t calling about that.”
“Oh?”
“Well, we had a weird incident tonight.”
His blood went cold. “What?”
“You ever heard of crop circles?”
He groaned. “Don’t tell me. There’s a tall woman with a pink shirt on and she’s in trouble.”
“We brought her and a boy into the station. She says she knows you.”
“She’s my girlfriend,” he said flatly. Who exactly was the kid she was with? What the hell was Luanne thinking, dragging in someone else? Damn it. He’d told her to knock the crazy shit off, and as soon as he went to sleep, she went ahead and did it anyhow?
The man on the other line chuckled. “That’s what she was saying. You—”
“I’ll be there in a half hour.” And he hung up before he could hear any more.
This was going to get around town. Hell, it was going to get around the entire county. And he liked Luanne, but this was thoughtless and foolhardy of her. He couldn’t have a girlfriend who was constantly getting into scrapes and then posting them online. Because then if she got away with something illegal, people would start to look at him and wonder what he was letting her get away with. It’s mighty convenient for a lawbreaker like Luanne Allard to have a cop for a boyfriend, they’d say. Probably turns a blind eye to everything she does.
And as much as he liked her, he couldn’t afford that in his life. If people thought he was just a bit crooked? In such a small town? He was done.
If she kept going with her career, she’d ruin his.
They’d have to break up, or she’d have to quit her job. There were no two ways about it. And he knew that wasn’t a conversation that would go down well.
Mouth grim with anger, Hank shoved his legs through a pair of jeans and dressed.
* * *
When he arrived at the sheriff’s office, Brannan was smirking at him knowingly. “You come to retrieve your girl?”
Of course that was why he was here. Like he’d be here for anything else. But he only glared at the man and gestured for him to lead on.
Brannan led him back to the holding cells, and opened the door to the first one.
There, sitting on a metal bench and looking very guilty
, was Luanne, dressed in her Jane gear. There were grass stains on her kneesocks and her normally perky blonde ponytails were drooping. Glitter was smeared on her cheeks. And she looked up at him with a faint smile. “Surprise.”
He didn’t smile back. Instead, he glanced over at Brannan, waiting.
“The farmer decided not to press charges. The boy that was accompanying her was underage so he’s been sent home with his parents.”
Hank nodded, not looking at Luanne as she got to her feet and moved to his side. “I’ll drive her home. Thank you, Brannan. I appreciate it.”
“You sure I can’t do anything else for you?” Brannan said with a knowing smile.
“I’m sure.” His voice was flat and cold. He put a hand to the small of Luanne’s back, all but shoving her out of the station.
They didn’t speak until they got into the parking lot. Luanne put a hand to the door of his squad car and then gave him an impish look. “You want me to sit in the back because I’ve been naughty?”
He glared at her.
“Okay, clearly someone doesn’t have a sense of humor today,” she said under her breath as she slid into the front passenger seat.
He said nothing. He simply waited until she got into the car and buckled up, then he started the engine and turned onto the highway.
Silence reigned for a few minutes. Then, she glanced over at him. “Are you going to talk to me at all?”
He bit down the sigh that threatened to escape. “What is there to say?”
“I don’t know,” she began. “How about a ‘I’m really mad at you, Luanne. You can’t keep pulling this shit.’ And then I’ll say something like, ‘You’re not my dad, and I’m allowed to do what I want.’ And then we’ll argue for a bit longer and then fall into this backseat and make love like two wild and crazy people.”
“I’m not your father,” he agreed as he exited the highway, heading for Bluebonnet. Almost home. “And it’s clear that I can’t stop you unless you do something illegal. Which means that I’ll probably have to choose between you and my job.”
“No, you don’t—”
“Yes, I do. I’m a police officer, Luanne. How do you think it would look if I sat back and let my girlfriend do all kinds of illicit activities and then post them online for the world to see? What do you think that would do to my job?”
“Crop circles aren’t against the law—”
“No? That field belongs to a farmer who depends on those crops for a living. From what I hear, you went in and trampled almost a quarter of an acre. That’s money that comes out of his pocket. That’s money that you’re taking out of his kids’ mouths. That’s trespassing, Luanne. That’s trespassing and willful destruction of another person’s property. I don’t know about where you come from, but it’s illegal here. You’re lucky he didn’t press charges. At the very least, you owe him an apology.”
She was silent. She was silent for so long that he finally glanced over at her. Her mouth was set into a mulish line, and glitter streaked from the corners of her eyes.
“But I guess it’s different when you don’t know the people, right? I guess it’s different when it’s just funny stunts for your blog.” His tone was biting and cold as he pulled the car down the long driveway to the Peppermint House and parked.
“You don’t understand, Hank. This is how I make a living. It’s not because it’s fun for me. It’s just something I do. And the wilder the stunt, the easier it is for me to pay the bills.”
“You’re right, Luanne. I don’t understand. It’s how you make a living. But doing illegal things isn’t the right way to make a living.”
“Not everything I do is against the law.” Her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive position. “You make it sound like I’m a bad person. Some sort of dangerous criminal. I’m just a video blogger.”
“I don’t think you’re a bad person,” he said quietly. “I just don’t think you’re thinking of anyone but yourself.”
A small laugh escaped her and she gave him a sideways glance. “Who else should I be thinking about?”
“Me.”
The look she gave him was incredulous. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’m a police officer, Luanne. This is a small town. What you do reflects on me.” When she shook her head, he continued. “I can’t have you doing stunts around here and not do anything about it. It means that if I know about it, I have to arrest you. So it’s better that I don’t know about it.” He paused, and then continued. “And it’s best if we say good-bye here.”
“Good-bye?” She seemed shocked. “You’re breaking up with me over a stupid crop circle?”
“No. I like you, Luanne. Really, really like you. You’re the perfect woman for me in all ways…except one. Our jobs just aren’t compatible. And if we’re together, one of us has to give up their job. I can’t ask you to give up yours, and you can’t ask me to give up mine, so it’s best we go our separate ways.”
She stared at him.
“I’m sorry, Luanne.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she said furiously, shoving the door open and pushing her way out of the car.
Damn it. He’d hurt her. He’d tried to do this gently, even though he felt like shit about it, but she was still hurt. Hank turned off the car and opened his door, unfolding his long body to his full height. “Luanne,” he called after her.
She ignored him, stomping her way to the front porch. Her back was stiff, and she wouldn’t turn around.
He’d definitely hurt her feelings. But hell, what was he supposed to do? Turn a blind eye to her antics? She was posting them online, for crying out loud. Hank ran a hand down his face and got back into the car. He stared at the dash without seeing it, even after she slammed the front door of the Peppermint House and the front porch light went off.
For some reason, he already missed her.
* * *
“Explain it to me again?” Emily said, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down at the dining room table. She frowned at Luanne. “Your mouth was full and I couldn’t make out what you said.”
“I said,” Luanne gritted between a mouthful of cereal, “that Officer Stick Up His Ass broke up with me.” She hugged the punch bowl full of cereal closer to her chest. Some people drowned their sorrows in ice cream. She drowned hers in Cap’n Crunch. “He said my job was stupid and reckless.”
“Well, it is,” Emily said.
That got her a glare from Luanne.
“Oh, come on. If it wasn’t stupid and reckless, no one would go to your website to see it. There are a million cute girls on the Internet. Only a few special idiots go cow tipping dressed like a hooker.”
“Not a hooker,” Luanne protested, her voice rising an octave. “This is a freaking roller derby costume. Jeez!”
Emily waved a hand. “My point is, you dress up like a nut, you perform nutty antics, and you post them online in the hopes of driving traffic to your website so you can make money from the ad revenue, right?”
She shoved another spoonful of cereal into her mouth and crunched for a long moment. “Yeah. So?”
“I can’t imagine that a straitlaced cop like Hank Sharp would ever have a problem with that,” Em said in an innocent voice. “He must have misled you about who he is. Perhaps it was all the piercings? The tattoos? The Harley he drives? Oh wait, I’m wrong. He drives a police car and never puts on anything that isn’t starched to regulation first.”
“You make him sound like a dweeb, Em,” Luanne protested, and then wondered why she was defending the jerk. After all, he’d dumped her. There was no need to defend anyone anymore. “He’s not like that.”
“He’s not? What’s he like, then?”
Luanne crunched for a long moment, thinking. And then she sighed. “He’s really fair.”
“Fair?”
“Yeah, you know.” She waved her spoon, sending milk droplets splashing across Em’s antique table. “He’s a good guy. He listens to people when they have probl
ems. Gets kittens out of trees. He likes to help people and do the right thing.”
“He sounds like a horrible jerk,” Em said in a laughing voice, plucking a paper towel from the countertop and wiping up Luanne’s mess. “Thank goodness you’re free of him, huh? I bet he was always telling you what to do and how to act, too.”
Luanne was silent. Truth was, he’d never done that. He’d appreciated the way she’d dressed. He liked the way she talked. He loved the way she carried herself. And when she was a bit brazen? He liked that, too. She was the opposite of him, but instead of him trying to tamp her down and force her to behave, he seemed to love watching her just be herself. The job was the only sticking point. She chewed slowly, thinking. “Something like that.”
“Probably for the best that you two broke up. You love your job, right?” Her sister’s voice was mild.
She gave Emily a scathing look and took another large bite of cereal. Em knew that Luanne hated the Jane schtick. It was a lot of work. It was obnoxious. She had stalkers, for crying out loud. People wrote her daily asking her to take her top off in videos. It was tiresome. The last three guys she’d dated had wanted her to “stunt” with them on dates. They’d wanted Jane and not Luanne.
And all Hank had ever wanted was Luanne.
She groaned, laying her head on the table. “This sucks, Em. This really, really sucks. Why is it that I find a good guy and he has to be Officer Straight and Narrow?”
“Is that so bad?”
“It is when he dumps me over my job.”
“So give up your job. It’s ridiculous. You can find something else.”
“I can’t just give up my job! It pays the bills, Emily. And you know I have a lot of bills.” Luanne frowned. “Had a lot of bills.”
“I thought they were all paid off?”
“Almost.” She stabbed at the bowl of cereal again, watching the Crunch Berries in her bowl drift to the edges. “I’m not quitting just because he wants me to. That’s crap. What am I supposed to do instead? Sit around and knit doilies for a living?”
“Maybe you get a real job like the rest of us,” Em said. “Or you could, I don’t know, help your sister run a bed-and-breakfast.”
The Legend of Jane Page 5