by Donna Alward
Damn, he was weak.
“Joe? You got garlic?”
He shook his head. “In a jar in the fridge. The minced kind.”
“Thanks.”
She was just making dinner.
But earlier this afternoon she’d been on her knees in front of him, teasing him with her soft, full lips and it had taken all his willpower to not tip her over onto the bed of golden leaves. He was doing a job, dammit. But last night had made a joke out of that idea. He’d slept beside her. She’d fallen asleep and he could have got up and gone back to the couch, but he hadn’t. He’d curled his body around her and slept like a baby. Like she belonged there.
He was rapidly losing his self-respect.
His phone buzzed, and he looked at the display. It was Sam again. But it was a call, not a text, and he hit the answer button and got up, heading for the bedroom and some privacy.
Five minutes later he sat on the bed, holding the phone in his hands, wondering what to do.
The guy was in custody. There was no longer any reason to keep Cassidy here, under his protection. As a lawman, he should tell her, drive her back into town, and deliver her to her apartment, with assurances that she’d be contacted by victim services and to expect to be subpoenaed to testify.
As a man, he didn’t want her to leave. He wanted…
He wanted her.
“Joe? Where’d you go? Dinner’s almost ready.” Her voice called from the kitchen, shaking him out of his thoughts.
What the hell was he going to do? The right thing? Or what felt right? And why did the two options have to be so at odds with each other?
…
Cassidy stepped back and took a deep inhale, suddenly nervous.
The small drop-leaf table was set for two, with plates, wine glasses, and, for lack of a better alternative, paper towels folded as napkins. She’d found a couple of thick candles in a drawer and she’d put them in the middle of the table, their soft glow flickering through the small space. Joe didn’t have a huge stock of groceries, but she’d managed to find a few chicken breasts, a box of spaghetti noodles, and a can of diced tomatoes. He did keep fresh vegetables, so she’d put together a basic marinara to go with the pasta, cooked the chicken in olive oil, garlic, and basil, and sliced some crusty bread from a French loaf she’d found in the freezer and had put in the ancient toaster oven. She’d brushed each slice with olive oil and broiled it until it was golden. All in all, it wasn’t bad for a thrown-together meal.
And there was wine. She’d found a single bottle of Chianti in the pantry. There was a tag on it—from last Christmas.
She wanted him to like it; for supper to be the first step to the rest of the evening. An evening that she hoped ended with Joe not sleeping on the sofa. Her life had kind of sucked for the last several months. There wasn’t any reason why she shouldn’t take advantage of a good opportunity. If…
If he wanted to. It was up to Joe, in the end. She knew what she wanted. Maybe she’d even suspected when she’d given him that cheesecake after his failed date. Maybe it had just taken this…forced proximity for her to realize it.
His footsteps sounded on the floor and she caught her breath, pressed her hands to her cheeks. Get your shit together, girl, she cautioned herself. You’re not sixteen anymore.
“Wow.”
Joe stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, surprise blanking his face for a moment. He looked up at her, his grayish-green eyes wide with wonder. “You found all this in my cupboards?”
She grinned. “I’m very resourceful.”
“Clearly.”
She held up the bottle of wine. “Do you want a glass?”
His face shadowed as she asked, and she put down the bottle. “Sorry. You don’t like it? It’s been in there for a long time, right? I should have known.”
“It’s not that.”
“What’s wrong?” He looked so serious that she was sure it was something bad, and her stomach did a slow twist.
“Sam called back. They’ve made the arrest.”
Relief flooded her body and she smiled. “That’s great!”
He smiled back, his shoulders relaxing. “Yes, it is. He didn’t put up any resistance, either. The rest of the money, the gun…it was all in his car.”
“He didn’t think he’d get caught?”
“They’re interrogating him now. But it doesn’t look as if he recognized you from the site. I think he thought he’d gotten away with it.”
“That’s very good news.” So why was he looking so pensive?
“It means…you don’t need my protection anymore.”
She looked at the wine bottle, uncorked and not poured. She’d made dinner. There was a movie. Only…
“We shouldn’t let the food go to waste,” she said, the words sounding thin to her ears. “I can re-cork the wine, I guess.”
“Dinner looks wonderful. I just…I mean, I brought you here to make sure you were safe. We didn’t really know who we were dealing with at first, you know? But now…”
“Now duty tells you that you need to take me home. If I stay longer, it’s not just business anymore. I get it, Joe.” Her voice sounded flat.
So much for seduction.
“Cass…”
There was a note of longing in his voice that gave her the smallest bit of hope.
“Yes?”
His gaze touched hers again. “I’m trying to do what’s right here.”
“I can see that. So let’s just sit and eat, okay?”
He came over to her then. “Cass.”
“What do you want me to say, Joe?” She lifted her head and met his gaze.
“I don’t know. The truth.”
She thought about that for a minute. Was either of them ready for the truth? She bit down on her lip as she considered, then lifted her chin and met his gaze evenly. “The truth is, that if you had a glass or two of wine, you wouldn’t be able to drive and I’d have to stay here until morning.”
“Is that what you want?”
He was putting it all on her. All the responsibility, but also the choice. The fact that he hadn’t immediately told her to pack her things and get ready to go spoke volumes. He wasn’t saying no. He was leaving it up to her. When was the last time anyone considered her feelings, her wants, in this way?
When was the last time she’d really felt in charge…at least in her personal life?
In response, she picked up the wine bottle and filled each glass.
“Cass,” he murmured.
“I don’t want to go home tonight, Joe. I want to stay here. With you. Maybe it’ll be watching a movie under a blanket on the sofa. Maybe it’ll be something else. But this is where I want to be. Just for a few more hours. Daylight will be here soon enough, and reality with it. Let me escape for just a little longer.”
Escape. She hadn’t even known she’d been looking to get away. But wasn’t she? Wasn’t that what putting her profile on the dating site had been about? Experiencing something new and exciting…with a man who exhibited all the qualities she’d recently discovered in Joe Lawson?
Both times they’d kissed, she’d initiated the contact. But now Joe took the wine bottle from her hand and placed it on the table. His palm settled on her hip, and her breath caught as their bodies brushed. His gaze held hers for a long moment, but then dropped to her mouth.
It was like someone lit a match inside her. Her lips parted automatically, and Joe leaned in, kissing her softly, thoroughly, in the middle of the kitchen. It was the first kiss without the specter of the robbery suspect between them, and it felt different. More permissible. More…everything.
If he kept doing that, dinner was going to be a non-event.
As if he’d heard her thought, he backed off, making a little mmm sound against her lips as he finished the kiss. “Let’s eat,” he suggested.
…
Cassidy finished up the dishes as Joe brought in more wood for the stove. It had seemed like once they’d made the de
cision for her to stay, there was no rush for anything. They’d eaten, chatted, looked at each other over the soft candlelight, flirted.
Now, though, darkness had fallen outside, the meal was over, the kitchen tidied, and the evening stretched before them. She had her DVDs that she’d brought, but the thought of sitting on the sofa watching a chick flick wasn’t exactly how she wanted to spend the night. She didn’t want to watch the story unfold; she wanted to experience it for herself.
She hung the dishtowel on a hook and brushed her hands down her pants. The fear of yesterday was over. If anything, the news of the arrest brought relief and a strange energy to her body. Freedom, perhaps. And the notion that she was hidden away in a cabin with a very sexy lawman who seemed equally interested in her—and not just professionally.
The living room was quiet. She found Joe sitting on the sofa, his head against the back, his eyes closed and relaxed.
Cassidy finally admitted that she was rather partial to denim and flannel. Not that his uniform wasn’t a turn-on, because it was, all starched and pressed and official-looking. But this…this was approachable and soft and manly and hit all the right buttons.
She walked softly across the room, put one knee on the sofa cushion beside him, and lifted her other leg so that she straddled his lap.
“Well, hello,” he said, his voice deep and lazy. He kept his eyes closed and she wanted to kiss his eyelashes, they were so pretty.
“Hello yourself,” she replied. She shifted on his lap, and he chuckled.
“Cass, what are you doing?”
It was now or never. They’d made the choice. She’d had a little liquid courage with dinner. “Seducing you.”
His lids lifted and his dazed eyes met hers. “Honey, you picked an easy target.”
“Really?” Damn. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to be insecure. And here she was, already asking for reassurance.
“Was there ever any doubt?” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “It’s been torture all day. Why else did you think I took you out in the woods?”
“To show me the falls?” She shifted again and felt him rise to meet her.
“To keep busy. To keep myself from doing what I really wanted.”
She lifted her hand and ran her fingernail over his lip, down the slight cleft in his chin. “And what’s that?”
His fingers captured hers. “Spending the day in bed with you. Very unprofessional, you see. The kind of thing that could get me in a lot of trouble.”
“Oh, very unprofessional. With me being under your protection and all.” She reached out and began sliding the buttons of his shirt out through the buttonholes. “But guess what?”
“What?” His hand settled on the curve of her hip, warm and wide, and stroked lightly. Even through her yoga pants, it felt heavenly.
“Since the arrest this afternoon, I’m not under your protection. I’m free as a bird. You could ravage me all night long and there wouldn’t be a thing inappropriate about it.” She let her fingers touch skin as she moved to the next button.
“Jesus, Cass. That’s an idea to put in a man’s head.” The fingers on her hip tightened.
She stopped, looked him full in the face. “Sweetheart, that idea was already there, and you know it.”
Now that was the confidence she’d hoped for. She smiled, then reached for the hem of the hoodie and pulled it over her head.
She was still wearing a T-shirt, but she caught Joe’s gaze dropping to her chest. “I’m glad you stoked the fire,” she purred and pulled her shirt off, too. In for a penny…
Her skin erupted into goose bumps, first from the cold, and then from the feel of Joe’s palm cupping her breast. Her hardened nipple pressed into his hand as she leaned forward to kiss him. This time there was little gentleness about it; the kiss was fuelled by need and desire and urgency. Tongues first, then teeth as Joe nibbled on her bottom lip before sliding to the curve of her neck. The wet touch was so delicious she gasped and moaned simultaneously. There was a slight popping feeling and then her bra gaped.
“One hand,” she murmured, lost in sensation. “Talented.”
“I have a few skills,” he replied, his mouth hot against her shoulder. “Sit up for me, Cass.”
She lifted a little and it put her breasts nearly level with his mouth. “Mmm,” he murmured, and she watched, fascinated and utterly turned on as he circled a nipple with his tongue.
“More,” she gasped, torn between pushing herself against him and pulling away. “Joe, stop. I want…I need…”
“What do you need?” he asked, pausing his motions briefly. But as soon as he asked, he went back to teasing and sucking and she cried out.
“I need to see you. To touch you. I need…I need everything.”
She pushed away, the cool air hitting her damp breasts. She grabbed the throw from the chair and spread it haphazardly on the rug in front of the wood stove. Then she shimmied out of her yoga pants and panties so that she was standing buck naked in his living room. She marveled at how she didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious. No, she was far too hot and needy to worry about that.
Joe cursed. Softly, succinctly, and she smiled. “Oh, I hope so,” she replied, and her heart pounded painfully as he got up from the sofa and came toward her.
She pulled the tails of his shirt out of his jeans and then pushed the soft fabric off his shoulders. Damn, but he was fine. All broad shoulders and lean hips, just the way she liked. Next she undid the button on his jeans, and pushed them down over his hips, along with his shorts; a task made slightly more difficult as they snagged on the way down.
And then they were both naked, and there was a moment in which the enormity of what was happening swept in and threatened to overwhelm her. Until he reached for her. He pulled her against his body, all warm and smooth, and kissed her with a force that stole her breath.
“I want to go slow, but I don’t know if I can,” he said harshly, and he parted her legs with his hand and found her hot and wet.
“We can do slow later…oh God, Joe.” His fingers were busy and she’d lifted one leg, allowing him better access. But that threatened her balance as her knee wobbled, and she held on to his shoulders.
He swore again, and she smiled at the coarse words coming out of his mouth. She liked that he could be a bit dirty, and she whispered something in his ear that made him growl.
He slid his fingers out from inside her and cupped her bottom in his hands, then lifted her up so she was straddling him. There was a certain thrill in his strength, and he knelt on the blanket before laying her down.
He started at her breasts again, building her back up to a peak, then slid his tongue down the center of her belly before parting her knees. “Oh God. Joe. I…”
Whatever she had been going to say was lost as her hips jerked upward.
The climax built, but just as her muscles started to clench, he stopped, slid back up on the blanket, and kissed her.
She reached down and took him in her hand, the whole thick, hot length of him. He ground his hips, working with her, and then found her with his fingers again until they were mutually pleasuring each other, their breath harsh in the quiet space.
“I want you inside me,” she breathed. “I don’t have a condom. But I’ve been on the pill for years now.” She felt the need to say it, hoping it didn’t kill the moment.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.”
He shifted again, parted her legs, and slowly slid inside her.
Oh. My. God.
“You feel so good.”
“So do you. God, Cass, so do you.”
They stopped speaking then, and only the sounds of pleasure drifted through the room. When she couldn’t hold back anymore, she cried out and pulsed her hips against his. And as soon as she came, he flipped her over, gripped her hips, and took her from behind.
His fingers dug into her hips as he hit his peak. Cassidy collapsed, face down on the blanket. Joe, brea
thing heavily, dropped beside her. “Holy shit.”
She chuckled, wonderfully languid and limp. “I can’t move. I can’t. It’s physically impossible.”
“Me either. Though at some point we’re going to get cold. And we’ll have to move.”
“Nope. The fire’ll keep us toasty.” She turned her head to the side and looked at him. He was on his back, his eyes closed, his chest still rising and falling from the exertion. Yesterday he’d walked into the bank and watched her throw up in a garbage can. Last night he’d held her, pleasured her in a life-affirming sort of way. But tonight was different.
Tonight they’d met as equals, with equal wants and desires. And it had blown her mind.
“What are you thinking?” he asked. “I can feel you staring at me.”
She laughed. “I’m just wondering how long it takes for you to be ready to go again.”
He opened one eye, turned his head a bit, and grinned. “I’ll let you know when I get feeling back in my legs.”
She tried not to giggle; didn’t quite succeed.
“Hey, Cass.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to get a crick in my back if we don’t move this somewhere else. Let’s go get into bed.”
Into bed. There was sex on a blanket but then there was sleeping together. Really, truly, spending the night. That was the part where feelings got involved. Was that what she wanted? Really? Or was this a weekend fling to let off some steam? This hardly seemed like the time to ask. Besides, there was only one bed. How could she say anything about sleeping together when it would mean him taking the couch…after what they’d just done together?
Besides, she really did want to sleep next to him. It just scared her a little. There was a big difference between being horny and opening yourself up to possibilities again. She hadn’t really considered the reality of that before…it had all been theoretical. An if and not a when. Tonight she’d taken a big leap past “if.”
He got up and held out his hand. She rolled over and took it, let him pull her to her feet. “Let me freshen up a bit first?” she asked, suddenly shy. Damn, their clothes were all over the living room.
As if sensing her misgivings, Joe came forward and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her softly. “This is not the time to start feeling bashful.” He smiled against her mouth. “Go do what you need to do. I just want to feel you warm against me.”
