This morning was different though. For another mile, Roxy stayed right next to Sandy while Herbert wandered off to the tree line. But when they turned back towards the house, Roxy froze and stared, her ears perking up. “What’s wrong girl?” Sandy asked.
Roxy cocked her head slightly, then raced off.
“Roxy!” Sandy called out, then whistled. Roxy stopped, looked longingly off in the direction she wanted to go, but obediently returned to Sandy.
A moment later, Roxy was off again, but this time, Sandy understood. Stranger!
No, not a stranger. A friend that Roxy desperately wanted to greet.
Big, tall, sweaty, and gorgeously hot Joe Hancock jogged out of the trees, heading right for her. As soon as Roxy caught up with him, he bent down to pet her, giving equal attention to Herbert when he raced over too.
Sandy rolled her eyes, irritated with the man since he’d ruined her sleep last night. “What are you doing out here?” she asked, patting her thigh to call the dogs back to her.
Both dogs raced to Sandy, but looked over their shoulder to see if their new friend was following.
“I’m training for a marathon. What about you?” Joe replied as he jogged into place beside her, shortening his stride to match hers.
She glanced at him, startled. “Same. Which marathon?”
“Marine Corps,” he replied. “It’s next month. Which one are you shooting for?”
She turned towards her house. “I run the ‘Sweet Southern Discomfort’ marathon every May. But I like to keep in shape so the prep time is shorter.”
He jogged right along with her. “Same. The Marine Corps is getting more crowded lately. I was thinking about switching to a different one. Maybe I’ll run the SSD next spring.”
Sandy didn’t like the sound of that. She liked being the only one in town who even knew about that marathon. It was her secret thrill to anonymously run the marathon every year. “Well, good luck to you.”
He chuckled. “Is that your way of telling me to go away?”
“Yes,” she replied, trying not to laugh.
“Well, you just happen to be running my way, Detective. So you’re stuck with me. At least for a while.”
She didn’t have a response to that and looked around to make sure that Herbert and Roxy were okay. Both were well ahead of her, sniffing something new.
“So how about dinner tonight?” he asked.
“I have plans,” she replied without hesitation.
“What plans?”
She refrained from rolling her eyes. Barely. “I’m cleaning out my chicken coop.”
“Ouch,” he laughed. “Is that your way of telling me that you don’t want to go out? Ever?”
“I read somewhere that Army officers were getting smarter,” she replied sarcastically.
Joe only laughed, not taking offense. “You want me,” he quipped as he moved ahead of her, then turned and started running backwards. “I’m going to figure out why you won’t go out with me. It might take some time, but I’ll wear you down and you’ll eventually fall for my incredible charm.”
Sandy couldn’t help it. She laughed and shook her head. “Go away, Major Hancock. Or I’m going to have to arrest you.”
“Promise?” he asked, grinning cheekily down at her. The expression was almost painfully sexy.
“I’ll get my dogs to bite you.”
Joe glanced over at the dogs, who looked up at him as they galloped alongside them with their tongues hanging out of their mouths.
“Nah! They might lick me, but they’d never bite.”
He was right, damn it!
By that point, she was on the last mile back to her house and she picked up speed. “Don’t you have some place you need to be?”
“It’s Sunday,” he replied. “Where do you think I should be?”
“In church, maybe? Confessing your sins?”
“Nothing to confess since you won’t go out with me.”
She stumbled slightly when he said that. And darn it, he realized what he’d done and laughed softly. “Go away!” she said again, this time with more emphasis.
“You’ve been warned,” he told her as he turned left while she continued straight, heading for her house.
When he was gone, Sandy felt…deflated. The excitement was suddenly gone. She didn’t like her reaction to him when he was close to her. And she definitely didn’t like the sensuous dreams she’d had about him last night! Good grief, the things he’d done to her! Sandy wasn’t even sure if some of the things in her dream were physically possible.
As she turned into her driveway, a stray thought occurred to her; she’d certainly like to find out if they were possible!
“Come on guys!” she announced, unlocking her front door. She went straight to the kitchen and gave the dogs fresh water and food before she grabbed a glass for herself. As she sat down on the carpet in the living room to do her cool down stretches, she wondered what he would do next to convince her to go out with him.
For some stupid reason, the anticipation was more intense than she wanted to admit.
Chapter 4
“So we meet again,” Joe observed as he moved behind her. “I think that we’re paired up for the wedding.”
It was the night of Carrie and Derick’s wedding rehearsal and dinner. Sandy sighed as she realized that he was probably right. The other groomsmen were married to the two other bridesmaids. Sandy was Carrie’s only single bridesmaid and Joe was Derick’s only single groomsmen.
“Great,” she muttered. “Just great.”
“Isn’t it?” he laughed, moving closer and touching her waist. “Should we practice our slow dance now?”
She shivered when she felt his hand, his chest warm against her back. The heat and excitement was…terrifying!
“I don’t think so,” she told him tartly, moving a step away from him.
“Ah, you’re still playing hard to get,” he whispered. “But I know that you’re turned on.” She gaped over her shoulder at him, wondering how he could possibly know that. When she realized that he was staring at her breasts, she gasped! Her breasts had been tingling, and she didn’t have to look down to know that her nipples were pointedly giving her arousal away.
“Stop that!” she hissed.
“Why would I do that? You’re crushing my ego. I need some sort of encouragement.”
She snickered, shaking her head. “As if anyone could crush your ego!” she muttered. “That’ll be the day.”
“Ah, I think you just complimented me.”
Sandy snorted and turned to face the rest of the wedding party. The minister was trying to get everyone in place. That meant that Joe and the other groomsmen, including the groom, were ordered to move towards the front of the church.
“Now ladies,” the wedding coordinator explained, then showed each of the bridesmaids and matron of honor, how to walk down the aisle.
They went through the motions and Sandy was the last one before Carrie. So she was watching Derick as he turned to see Carrie step forward, pretending to walk towards him. The love in the big, intimidating guy’s features was so profound, it took all of Sandy’s willpower not to cry. It wasn’t even their wedding day! This was just the rehearsal. So, what was it going to be like tomorrow when the real thing happened?
Pulling her eyes away from Derick, she accidentally looked at Joe. And she caught the yearning in his eyes as well when Carrie stepped forward. Did he have feelings for Carrie? No, that was impossible! She’d seen the friendship between the men and knew that Joe would never step on Derick’s toes by even intimating that he might have a thing for Carrie.
So, what was going on? Just then, Joe looked at her. Sandy froze, her breath caught in her throat as she stared back. He was trying to tell her something, trying to send a silent message. One that she didn’t want to hear! It was too much and…she pulled her eyes away, lowering her lashes so that she was staring at the red carpet instead of at the man who haunted her dreams.
“Okay, that was great!” the wedding coordinator called out. “The minister does her thing, then the bride and groom kiss and…” Everyone laughed when Derick bent to kiss Carrie. Even Sandy smiled, thinking the couple was adorable. She was so petite and vivacious now that her ex-boyfriend was no longer a threat. And Derick was just so big and…big! It was cute to see the two of them, so different from each other, and yet, they fit better than most couples.
“Right,” the coordinator laughed, waiting with exaggerated patience until Derick and Carrie pulled apart. “So then the newly married couple walks back down the aisle, waving and excited and happy…!” she paused again as the two walked toward her. “And then the bridesmaids loop their hands through the arm of the groomsmen.”
Sandy had anticipated this moment, even braced for it. But the reality of touching Joe was…shocking. He even covered her fingers where they rested on his arm with his own. To hold her in place? Or to reassure her? Sandy wasn’t sure, but it felt strangely wonderful!
She glanced up at him as they walked up the aisle to the church’s sanctuary and he turned his head at the same moment, looking down at her and there it was, that same message was back in his eyes. Sandy had no idea what it meant and, because it was so enticing, she turned away.
As soon as they reached the others, she dropped her hand and moved away. But Joe stepped closer and put a hand on the pew behind her. The movement made it seem like he had his arm wrapped around her and, because Sandy wanted that so badly, she didn’t move away. For just a moment, she allowed herself the fantasy that maybe there could be something between them.
There could be no future though, she thought, not hearing the final words of advice from the minister or the wedding coordinator. She wasn’t whole. Her ex-husband had made that perfectly clear. Painfully clear. The tests and doctors had confirmed it too.
“Okay, now that the rehearsal is over,” Carrie clapped her hands, “let’s all head over to the White Swan for dinner and drinks!”
The crowd cheered their approval and moved en masse toward the door. The White Swan was a pretty restaurant located just across the street from the church. Both were located in the historic section of the small town where everything was quaint and pretty, with flower baskets hanging from the old fashioned lamp posts and banners waving in the slight breeze.
“Cold?” Joe asked, pulling off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders.
Sandy hadn’t been cold, but she smiled her appreciation anyway, and tugged the lapels of the enormous jacket closer. “Thanks,” she replied, falling into step beside him.
He put a hand to the small of her back as they stepped through the doors of the busy restaurant, and their group was herded towards a private dining room that was already set up for the wedding party.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked.
Sandy glanced wistfully at the bartender who was taking orders. “I’ll just have seltzer tonight.”
“I can drive you home if you’d like to drink.”
Oh, to hear responsible words from a man! So sexy! So hot!
“Thank you, but…I need my car tomorrow.”
“Suit yourself,” he replied, and moved towards the bartender. He ordered two seltzers and handed one to her, then they moved to the tables.
Sandy stood beside Joe because there wasn’t anyone else to stand next to. The others in the wedding party were all connected through marriage or would be soon. There were toasts and laughter and, when everyone finally sat down for dinner, the meal was absolutely delicious. For a wedding that had been thrown together quickly, Carrie and Derick had done an amazing job.
After the meal, Sandy walked back to the church where her car was parked. And she knew the exact moment that Joe came up behind her.
“Sandy, wait up!”
She didn’t slow down. For some reason, she needed to put as much space between herself and Joe as she could. But she should have known that Joe could catch up with her easily. The guy was almost a foot taller than she was.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as soon as he was close enough. “You’ve seemed tense all night.”
She dug into her purse for her car keys, trying not to look at him. Trying not to lean into him. It would be so easy to pull him close, to kiss him, and feel his arms wrap around her. But her ex-husband’s words kept ringing in her ears.
“I haven’t been sleeping well lately,” she told him.
“I haven’t either. I keep having these erotic dreams about you,” he admitted.
Sandy was so startled by his honesty that she froze. “Is that true?” she whispered.
“Hell yes!” he groaned, stepping closer. “You have to have noticed that I’m interested in you, Sandy.” His hands moved to her waist, pulling her close. “If I haven’t been clear about my interest yet, then let me state it now. I’m incredibly interested.”
“In sex,” she said, wanting to make it as clear as possible.
“Yes,” he agreed, reaching up to brush a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “I would love to have sex with you. But I’d also love to know why you have chickens in your backyard, why you love animals so much, what makes you want to run marathons, and why you chose to be a police officer.”
“Detective,” she corrected.
He grinned and, even from the dim light coming from the streetlights, she could see his eyes sparkle. “Exactly. I’d like to know why you chose to become a detective and how you solve crimes. Hell, I’d love to hear what kinds of crimes you’re investigating currently.” He stepped closer, leaning into her.
Sandy listened, her heart aching. He was probably lying through his teeth. Most men weren’t interested in getting to know a woman. They just wanted sex. But wasn’t that what she wanted too?
No, she thought. She wanted affection. She wanted more than just sex. But would just sex be okay?
Joe lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers and the breath she’d been holding went out with a whoosh! Without conscious thought, Sandy reached for him, grabbing the lapels of his jacket, pulling him closer.
For a few wild moments, Sandy allowed herself to revel in the beauty of Joe’s kiss. And boy, he was an amazing kisser! His lips teased, his tongue taunted, and his body shifted against hers until she felt as if she was on fire! His hands were everywhere, touching her, caressing her back, pulling her hips closer to his own and…whoa! He was huge everywhere!
Pulling back, she stared up at him, her breathing ragged as she tried to regain control of herself.
Someone down the street laughed loudly, which startled her. Sandy pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ears while she tried to…figure out what she’d just done? Why had she kissed him back? This could go nowhere!
“Um…that was….” She had no words. That kiss had been amazing!
“I agree,” he replied with a soft laugh. “But you’re not going to let me do it again, are you?”
She pulled her eyes from the gravel of the parking lot to look into his hazel eyes. She couldn’t see the color at the moment, but she knew. She’d stared into his eyes too many times and knew that Joe had beautiful hazel eyes with a touch more green than normal, and the iris was surrounded by a yellow ring that was…fascinating.
“I don’t think it would be wise to…” She trailed off and cleared her throat. “Well, no.”
Joe shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks, staring at her. “Someday, you’re going to tell me why, right?”
She smiled at his question, and shrugged. “I need to get home,” she told him.
Joe immediately backed away and she slipped into her car. Starting the engine, she breathed a sigh of relief, and carefully drove out of the parking lot. Away from Joe.
Joe watched Sandy drive away, more intrigued than before. What was it about her that he couldn’t seem to get out of his mind? Why did every interaction with her give him one more reason to be attracted to her?
That kiss had been…phenomenal! She’d pressed her slen
der curves against him and he’d been blown away. Hell, if she hadn’t stopped that kiss, he would have pushed her up against her car and had sex with her right there.
No, he corrected, tucking his hands into his pockets. No, the first time he made love to Sandy, there would be a bed and privacy and enough time to do the job right. And do it again after they’d both recovered from the first round. Hell, he figured he could make love to her pretty much nonstop for a couple of weeks…months…before getting to the point where he’d need a break.
He chuckled, thinking about her walking after a marathon of sex. She definitely wouldn’t need to go out for a run afterwards, he thought.
Turning, he headed towards his car and drove home, then took a cold shower.
Chapter 5
Carrie looked beautiful! Sandy sniffed, feeling a bit envious of her friend and neighbor as she watched the woman walk down the aisle toward her soon-to-be husband. The white silk dress was embellished with beading on the strapless bodice, and flared out to a princess train in the back. She wore flowers in her hair and no veil as she beamed at Derick.
Joe (Delta Forces Book 4) Page 2
