by Katie Reus
Continuing to watch her, he slowly drew his fingers out of her slickness, then just as slowly pushed back in. With her leggings tangled around her ankles and the way she was plastered against the seat, it was impossible to move much, but she rolled her hips into his hold as much as she could.
“You know how many nights I’ve thought about you, about this?” His voice was dark, seductive as he stared at her mouth again.
She wasn’t sure if the question was rhetorical or not and it didn’t matter, because she couldn’t answer. Her nipples were painful pebbles against her bra and all she wanted to do was shed the rest of her clothing—and his—and feel him skin to skin.
To hell with any consequences.
“Way too many, Fallon.” The way he said her name was like a prayer.
She automatically tightened around him, and he crushed his mouth to hers again, even as he continued those slow, steady strokes inside her.
The man was determined to drive her crazy. And had been for a while. In the year since she’d moved home, every time she saw him it was like a switch flipped inside her.
She moaned into his mouth when he started teasing her clit with his thumb, rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves with just enough pressure to make her insane.
“You like that?” he murmured before biting her bottom lip.
She jerked against him and let out another moan of approval. Like it? She freaking loved it. “More,” she managed to rasp out as he kissed a little path along her jaw that seemed to spark to life nerve endings she hadn’t known she even had.
He increased the pressure on her clit just as he began thrusting his fingers faster and faster inside her.
Just like that, she was coming apart in his arms, her inner walls clenching convulsively as a sharp orgasm tore through her. She jerked against the seat and wrapped her arms around him, digging her fingers against his back as he made the sexiest rumbling, growly sound against her neck.
Her climax seemed to go on forever, the only thing interrupting it the little squawk of his radio. Blinking, she stared up at Brad as he let out a curse, grabbing for his radio with one hand.
Though he kept his other hand cupped around her mound, his fingers still buried in her slickness. She tightened her inner walls around them as he answered his radio—which earned her a soft groan from him.
“I’m on my way,” he said after a brief conversation with one of his deputies. Apparently there was an issue at one of the local bars with a tourist getting too rowdy.
Groaning again, he withdrew his fingers from her—and licked them. Aaaand another rush of heat flooded her core. Talk about hot. No way could she find her voice after that.
He pinned her with a hard stare as he then slid his radio onto his belt and not so subtly adjusted himself. “This isn’t over.”
Oh, he was right about that. This was definitely not over. Taking herself by surprise, Fallon reached between their bodies and cupped his erection through his pants. She rubbed her hand over his hard length once, twice—
“I don’t want to leave you.” He grabbed her wrist, pulled her hand away as he kissed her again. “Not over,” he murmured as he somehow managed to extricate himself from the truck. “Lock the door when I close it.” The slight command in his voice sent another rush of heat between her legs. And she did as he said.
Once she was alone in the front seat, she righted her clothes and started the heater. Because she suddenly realized how very cold it was without Brad’s big body covering her.
As she steered out of the parking lot, warmth spread through her and she shifted slightly against the seat. She was slick from her orgasm and still turned on. All she could think about was the next time she and Brad did this. Without any interruptions.
Even as a teeny bit of mortification slid through her veins and she wondered what he must think about her after tonight, she still knew there would be a next time. It was inevitable.
Chapter 2
Brad steeled himself to see Fallon as he entered Nora’s Books and Brew. It was a little after ten, and Fallon had texted him that she’d meet him here. He’d called her, wanting to lock down a time and place for a date.
He always had to mentally prepare to see her, because every time he did it was an assault to his senses. She was petite, with thick auburn hair she usually wore up, and was the sexiest woman he’d ever met. Her bright blue eyes and genuine smile had drawn him in initially, and her spitfire personality had nearly knocked him on his ass. She was all attitude.
The little bell jingled again as the door shut behind him. A steady hum of voices, mostly female, and laughter filled the shop. He frowned as he glanced around at the full high-top tables, surprised he didn’t see her. Her brother’s truck was parked a block back on the curb of Main Street and he assumed she was still driving it. When he’d passed the truck, he’d had to fight a hard on. Every time he saw that truck he was going to think of her and the way she’d looked as she’d climaxed against his fingers, her sweet body writhing underneath him.
He rolled his shoulders once. He couldn’t be thinking about that right now. If he let his mind head down that path he was going to get kicked out for public indecency.
She’d ignored his call, instead texting him back telling him she’d be here, keeping her text vague. The woman was hot and cold and making him crazy. And okay, he liked the chase. A lot. He liked everything about Fallon O’Connor. Had since the moment she’d moved back into town a year ago.
He’d remembered her as the kid sister of the O’Connor brothers. Seeing Fallon all grown up, and literally walking, talking sex appeal had moved her from the category of the O’Connors’ sister to the woman he wanted to date. More than date. But he was taking things as slow as possible because she was skittish.
He’d thought that after Christmas things would finally move forward with them, but Fallon had practically fallen off the planet the last month and a half. Last night in her brother’s truck had definitely shocked him. In a very good way. When he’d seen her walking alone—on Valentine’s Day, no less—he’d had to stop her. To talk to her. And do more, as it turned out.
“Hey, sheriff,” Nora Cassidy, the owner, said as she wiped off one of the high-top tables. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of uniform.”
He nodded politely, not wanting to get into small talk. Not when the woman who consumed his every waking thought was somewhere nearby. “I’m meeting Fallon here.”
“Oh, she’s in the bookstore. It’s crazy about her leaving, huh?” Nora said almost absently. “If we have a going-away party I’ll make sure to let you know.” She tucked the white cloth into her apron and had moved on to talk to a group of customers before he’d processed her words.
Leaving?
A low buzz built along his spine as he made his way through the throng of tables, nodding politely at people instead of stopping to talk. Where was Fallon going?
And why hadn’t she told him?
As he entered the quieter, empty bookstore, his heart rate kicked up a hundred notches when Fallon stepped out of the storeroom. She had on dark leggings, knee-high boots, and a leopard print tunic that stretched across her full breasts. She didn’t notice him at first so he took the uninterrupted moment to drink her in. Normally when he saw her he was working and in professional mode. He’d been hiding his attraction to her for the better part of a year because she’d never shown any interest—until the Christmas Eve party.
One minute they’d been making idle talk in her parents’ kitchen and the next she’d asked him to help her get something out of the pantry. That had been the first time he’d ever seen a true spark of interest from her. And it had been more than a spark once they’d been alone in the pantry. Then it had been full-on lust as they’d gone at each other like starving wolves. He was still starving for another taste of her. Last night in the truck hadn’t been nearly enough.
“Hey, Red.” She finally glanced over as he covered the distance between them.
&nb
sp; Her cheeks heated up as she met his gaze. “Boy Scout.”
And for the first time since he’d met her, he realized that the nickname was a way to keep a wall up between them. But he didn’t care what she called him.
Unable to stop himself, he reached out and cupped her cheek, stroked her soft skin with his thumb. He wasn’t sure he had the right to touch her like this yet, but after last night, he was taking a calculated risk. “Nora said you’re leaving?” God he hoped he’d misunderstood her.
She cleared her throat, but didn’t break his gaze or his hold. If anything she leaned into it. “Yeah. I got accepted into culinary school. In California. I leave in two weeks.”
The news was a punch to the solar plexus even as he noted that she didn’t seem excited about it. “Why do you make that sound like a bad thing?” Which to him, it was. Damn it. He’d barely had a chance to see where this thing with them could go.
“It’s not. Look, Brad—”
That sounded a lot like she planned to give him the “last night was fun, but nothing else is happening between us” type of speech, so he did the only sane thing. He backed her against the storeroom door and kissed her. There was no one in the bookstore, and even if there was, he didn’t care at the moment.
There was no pause, no push from her. Instead she moaned into his mouth, grinding up against him as if they’d been made for each other.
For how he felt now, they absolutely had. He’d known attractive women, had been with some, but he’d never believed in this type of heart-stopping, “everything funneling out until no one else existed” lust at first sight. Until Fallon. He wanted more than just a couple hookups, however. He wanted something real with this woman. If only she’d give him the chance.
He reached behind her, twisted the door handle to the storeroom and guided them inside. Still kissing her, he locked the door behind them. This way lay insanity, but he didn’t care. His cock pressed up against his zipper, demanding to be inside her right now.
Which again, was insane.
He was respected in the community, and it was a huge part of the reason he’d gotten his job. What they were doing wasn’t smart.
He still didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything other than Fallon as he shoved his hands through her thick hair. She tasted like coffee and mint. And his. All his.
He groaned into her mouth as she consumed him, arching her body against his in a way that felt as if their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces.
Breathing hard, Fallon pulled back and stared up at him. “Is this smart?” she whispered. Her eyes were wide, but filled with undeniable hunger. For him.
He’d been locking down his attraction to her for a year. Now that he’d gotten a full-on taste, he didn’t want to stop. Because he was afraid if they did, she’d walk away. He wasn’t above locking her down with pleasure. “You want to stop?” He sure didn’t.
She shook her head, her red hair swishing around her face. There was a hint of indecision in her gaze, however.
He might want her, but he wanted her completely into this. No regrets or second-guessing. “Let’s just leave—”
Fallon went up on tiptoe, brushing her lips against his. “You bring out this wild side of me,” she murmured, nipping at his bottom lip.
The feeling was mutual. He’d always been a rule follower. Her nickname for him wasn’t far off the mark and didn’t bother him—but she made him feel out of control.
And he liked it.
He wanted to hold on to her and not let go because some intrinsic part of him knew he’d regret it if he didn’t.
“Maybe I’m not the Boy Scout you think I am,” he said, pinning her to the nearest wall. He sure wasn’t acting like one right now. There wasn’t much space because of all the shelving so he’d take what he could get.
She just snorted as she grappled with his belt. He couldn’t believe they were doing this. In the storeroom of a store neither of them owned. He didn’t do things like this. Until Fallon, apparently.
He’d planned to take her on a date—multiple dates—then give her a lot of foreplay, to tease her until she was coming against his mouth before they finally got completely naked. This definitely hadn’t been in his plans for the day. His fantasies? Oh, yeah. When he went to push her top up, she batted his hands away and shoved his pants and boxers down his hips.
“This is about both of us,” he managed to rasp out as she grasped his cock. Holy hell, she felt good.
“Not right now it’s not.” Her voice was a whisper as she pinned her gaze to his, stroking him once, long and hard. “And this is about me, anyway. I want to watch you come. I want to make you come.”
His brain short-circuited and he got lost in her electric blue eyes and the feel of her hand on him. The base of his spine tingled with pent-up need as she stroked him again.
He’d had stuff he planned to say to her, make clear to her—like, this wasn’t casual for him—but he couldn’t string a sentence together as he savored the feel of her soft hand around his hard length. So he cupped her cheek and brought his lips to hers as she continued stroking him to orgasm.
Over and over, she pumped him until they were both moaning, their breathing overly loud in the storeroom, and all he wanted to do was drown in her.
“Gonna come,” he growled out after what felt like an eternity. While he’d rather come inside her, rather feel her tight body wrapped around him, this was the second-best thing. Her hand was so smooth and silky, his own hand would never do again after this.
She bit his bottom lip, the action setting him off, and he let go. Tightening his jaw, he forced himself not to cry out as loudly as he wanted to. Instead, he buried his face against her neck as he held the back of her head in a dominating, possessive grip.
There was no denying he felt possessive of her. Didn’t matter that it made no sense—he wanted this woman all day, every day. And he wouldn’t share her.
When he finally came back to his senses and pulled back to look at her, she appeared as dazed as he felt. “That was incredible.” Okay, it was the single hottest thing he’d ever done, and all she’d done was stroke him off. Maybe it was the setting, or more likely the fact that it was Fallon who’d just brought him to climax in a storeroom in the middle of the damn day that made this all the more intense.
She gave him a sweet, almost shy smile as she blinked a couple times. “I can’t believe we just did that,” she whispered.
“No kidding.” And he wasn’t done just yet. He’d started to reach for the top of her pants when there was a knock on the storeroom door. They both froze for a fraction of a second before he grabbed some wipes from a nearby shelf.
“Uh, hold on!” Fallon called out, her voice shaky.
They quickly cleaned up, and even though it pained him to do so, he zipped up and straightened his clothes. Though he was pretty sure that whoever was behind that door was going to know what they’d been doing. Or at least guess.
He stayed glued to Fallon’s side as she opened the door to find, no surprise, Nora on the other side. The other woman’s eyes widened as she looked between the two of them, but she didn’t say anything—just snickered as she hurried past them, murmuring something about grabbing stock.
“I could die of embarrassment right now,” Fallon whispered as she took his hand in hers and pulled him back into the bookstore. She kept going until they exited out onto the sidewalk.
An icy wind whipped around them and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulders. To his surprise, she didn’t push him away, just buried her face against his chest.
“What the heck is wrong with us?” Her voice was garbled, but all his focus was on her sweet vanilla scent and the way she felt in his arms.
“Not a damn thing.” Brad didn’t care who on the street saw them. If anything, he wanted every man in town to know she was off-limits. That she belonged to him and they’d better keep their distance. “How long do we have before you leave?”
She looke
d up at him then, still in his embrace, which did something foreign to his insides. He liked this closeness, craved more of it.
“I leave in two weeks, which is why starting anything now is crazy. Right?” She tentatively placed her hands on his chest.
“I just want to take you on a date.” Liar, liar. “Let’s start there and see where things go before ending anything.”
She pushed out a hard sigh and tension built in his chest until she spoke again. “Okay. But I can’t do anything today. Or tomorrow. My friend called me last minute in a panic. She needs help prepping for a wedding. There’s a lot to do and she’s in a bind. I got the call right before…” Her cheeks flushed the sexiest shade of pink. “Ah, right before you showed up. Oh, and I can’t Monday either. Family dinner thing.”
He wanted to claim her mouth again, but resisted the urge. Barely. “What about Tuesday, then? I work until six. I can pick you up a little before seven.” It was only two days away. He could deal with that.
When she nodded and gave him one of those sweet, genuine smiles, he felt it bone deep. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, take her back to his place and not leave for weeks. And he wasn’t even going to think about the fact that she was leaving in two weeks and heading across the country.
Though he knew it would invite town gossip, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, the barest hint of a kiss. “I’ll see you Tuesday night.”
She nodded and stepped away from him. He started to offer to walk her to her vehicle, then she gave him a wry smile. “And now I have to go back in there to grab my purse—and explain to my friend what we were doing in her storeroom.”
He barely stifled a laugh. “Pretty sure you won’t need to explain.”
Fallon covered her face with her hands for a moment. “I still can’t believe we did that.”
He couldn’t either, but he didn’t regret it. He couldn’t regret anything to do with her.
Chapter 3