by Vivian Arend
One of her taillights blinked red.
For fuck’s sake—she’d used her turn signal at the first intersection. Two gravel roads leading from nowhere to nowhere, not a soul around for miles, and she still flipped on the damn indicator.
And there it was. The perfect example of what was wrong, and what needed to change. She was so used to following rules for the sake of following rules she’d forgotten to choose what was going to make her really happy.
The woman had a respectable career and an orderly life, and boned him on the side as long as no one knew. How long did she think that would be enough for either of them?
Mitch pulled on his helmet and settled onto his bike, ready to burn off his anger on the highway before heading home.
They weren’t that much different, Anna Coleman and himself. His days of being someone’s dirty little secret were over. Her days of hiding her real self away were drawing to an end as well.
Now he had to find a way to make that happen.
Chapter Two
IF ENDLESS TEDIUM was the nearest thing to hell on earth, Nick Dowes seemed determined to hasten its arrival. Around the table at RCMP headquarters, the staff were trapped in their seats as Anna’s partner headed into his third page of suggestions to streamline operations.
The concepts were good, the delivery mind-numbing. Anna’s phone vibrated, and she lowered her gaze to the screen hidden in her lap.
What U doing?
Being bored silly, but she couldn’t text that to Mitch. She wouldn’t text that—frustrations with her job in general and her coworker in particular were not something she would share with anyone. Not only would it be unprofessional, there was not much use in sharing when she couldn’t change things.
“I’m sure we can all see why this would create an increase in efficiency…”
One ear on Nick, Anna texted back. In meeting
Boring
Anna suppressed a snort. What’s up?
This was about the time he’d usually contact her to arrange their next get-together, and good grief, did she need it.
Have an idea. Call when you’re done work
Oh, she liked where this was going. Secrets?
Nice secrets, he texted. Later
The thrill of the unknown shouldn’t have made her entire body come alive. A simple text message, and she was ready to track down Mitch Thompson and crawl all over him.
She didn’t want to analyze the desire. Didn’t want to justify it, but she’d willingly admit her obsession with the man was real.
“Anna.”
A deep voice broke through her distraction, and she whipped her head up to spot her commanding officer staring. Damn. Had she been caught? She slipped her phone into her pocket, adrenaline blasting through her veins and helping her focus.
“Yes, sir?”
He’d moved to the head of the table, taking over for Nick—thank God—and resumed control of the meeting. “I’ve gotten a request from the high school for an officer liaison, and I’d like to put you down for the duty.”
Her stomach fell. “Me, sir?”
“I’d love to take that role,” Nick cut in. “With the extra training I did this summer, I’m up to date on youth issues.”
Staff Sergeant Max paused then shook his head. “Your training is good, but I think Anna is a better match for the school. It would do all the students good to see a woman in a position of authority. No, unless you have any serious concerns about the posting, Constable Coleman, I’ll get you the contact information for the school. You can arrange with the guidance counselor for the best way to work this task into your shifts.”
No serious concerns other than she didn’t want the job, but she wasn’t about to admit that. “If you feel it’s in the best interest of the department, of course. I’ll take the position.”
Nick settled in the chair across from her, lining up his file folders with deliberate care as he avoided meeting her gaze.
Great. Not only did she have a work-enforced mandate to go hang out with teens—her second least-favorite population group after babies and toddlers—her partner was acting as if she’d kicked a kitten. Maybe her being away at times was going to mess with “efficiency” or something.
She left the room as soon as they were dismissed, grabbing her gear and heading for the cruiser. She had highway patrol for the rest of the afternoon. With the mood she was in? God help her brothers if she caught one of them speeding.
“Anna, wait up,” Nick called after her.
She paused with a hand on her car door, a deepening sense of guilt rolling through her. They’d been partnered together for nearly a year, and she still didn’t feel much of a connection with him. In their area, partners didn’t mean 24/7 working together, but most times when they were assigned two-man duties she was hooked up with Nick.
What was wrong with her that she couldn’t make that deep association with him that others talked about having with their partners? The two of them worked together fine, only…beyond the job? Nothing. Less than nothing.
Nick ran up, his blond hair neatly tucked under his hat. Every button and bow in place. “I need a minute of your time.”
She pasted on her friendliest smile. “You need a hand with something?”
He waved off her offer. “Just wanted to make sure you know, if down the road you decide to drop the liaison position, I’d appreciate you putting forward my name as a replacement.”
His attitude was all sunshine and roses now, instead of the annoyance she spotted earlier. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised.
He was gone before she could make any small talk, which only added to her frustration. Partner. Ha. More like person she worked with whom she still knew zero about.
She hit the highway, heading north. She loved her job and all the things it stood for, but at times the grating parts were extraordinarily annoying.
The lone female in a family with three brothers, moving off the ranch and onto the RCMP force had meant a lot in terms of gaining respect. The work was usually emotionally fulfilling. After the hours of training she’d completed to reach this point, she was certain this was where she was supposed to be, high school liaison assignments notwithstanding.
But today time dragged, the only high point to look forward to the moment she could put her phone on speaker and call Mitch. Between crap assignments and her crappy partner situation, she needed something to anticipate to give her the strength to last the shift.
HOME FROM WORK at the garage, showered and scrubbed, Mitch relaxed on his couch and waited eagerly for Anna’s call.
Only it wasn’t her number that lit the screen.
Damn. He stabbed the phone on. “Go away.”
Len’s laugh echoed over the line. “Ass. The correct response is ‘what can I do for you, master of the universe?’”
“No, the correct response is ‘go away, annoying little brother’.” Although said little brother was the size of a brick shithouse. “I already spent all day with you and the rest of our crazy kin at the shop.”
“So here’s your chance for some quality time with your favorite brother. I found out there’s racing down in Blackstone’s fields tonight.”
Okay, that caught Mitch’s attention. “Really? I thought he’d outlawed their use.”
If Len so much as hesitated, Mitch would turn the adventure down. The risk wasn’t worth it. Not with him intent on sweet-talking Anna Coleman to the dark side. Getting arrested wouldn’t help his cause.
“It’s not the same as before,” Len insisted. “Gary Blackstone will be there. He’s bringing a bunch of friends from out of town, and he invited us specifically. His dad just wants assurances we keep the bikes out of the canola.”
“So old man Blackstone won’t call the cops when he hears a bunch of motors tearing it up in the distance?”
“Gary says we’re good.” Len turned on the charm. “You’ve been dying to try out the rebuild. Come on. You know you want to.”
&nbs
p; Hmm. A change of plans might actually work to his advantage. “You bringing a date?”
Len laughed. “No. I’m going biking. I hadn’t made plans to bring anyone along.”
Mitch grinned, flicking on the TV in the background as he considered. His little brother had one woman in his life who was as good as stalking him. “I bet Janey would go with you last-minute.”
“Fuck you,” Len shot back.
“Just saying. The girl’s got your number. Don’t know why you’re fighting her off so hard.”
“Maybe the chase is part of the fun,” Len drawled.
Oh hell, yeah. Mitch understood that one and relented on the baiting. Flash-decision time. “I’ll meet you at the garage at six thirty, and we’ll pick up the bikes.”
Anna’s call came through right after he’d hung up on Len.
“Tell me you’ve got something wicked planned,” she begged. “I just spent the last hour of my shift rounding up cows with the Laings.”
“Come on over, and I’ll show you,” Mitch teased.
“Deal. Warm up the shower, though, ’cause I stink.”
Mitch eyed his watch. He figured that gave him fifteen minutes to get ready before she arrived at his place. He tossed supper together, thankful again he’d found a place deep in the woods to rent. Privacy he had by the bucket-load. It was the only reason he knew Anna would show up.
Secret affair—the cop and the biker. But if he had his way tonight their secret was getting out.
She knocked on the door, and he let her in, only her phone was still glued to her ear and she wore a desperately frustrated expression.
“But why is this the first I’m hearing of it?” Anna demanded. She toed off her shoes and tossed him a quick wave. “No, you didn’t tell me. I’m one hundred percent sure… Well, Dad, telling the boys doesn’t mean I find out anything. I’ll see if I can get the time off, but it’s late to ask—”
Mitch moved in, and Anna retreated, mouthing I smell as she frantically waved him off.
“—no, I can’t just take time off whenever I want. That makes no sense. I have a job, remember?”
Family. So much fun. Mitch stepped aside and gestured down the hall.
“I’ll try. Talk to you later.” Anna hung up then shoved her phone into a pocket as she stomped away and disappeared into the bathroom.
She was only gone for five minutes. Not nearly long enough for Mitch to linger over mental images of her in the water, hot soapy suds clinging to her strong curves.
Not long enough for her to forget whatever it was that had pissed her off. She wandered back into the living area, yanking a brush through her hair. She’d pulled on a sweatshirt and neat new jeans, and he wanted so badly to mess her up.
Instead he pushed the stewpot toward her.
Anna raised a brow. “You have a strange definition of wicked.”
Her skeptical tone made him laugh. “Eat, then we’ll talk details.”
Another hesitation followed as she examined the meal on the table. Oh right. One of her early ground rules—this thing between them was about sex, and nothing else. Well, that rule was about to get crushed and repealed if he had his way.
Mitch tossed her a look. “You’re not hungry?”
“Starving, but…”
He nudged the bowl again. “Forget the excuses, stop thinking about what this is, and feed your damn stomach.”
She sat hard enough the chair opposite him creaked, but at least now she was smiling. And by the time her bowl was empty, the tension stiffening her shoulders had drained away.
Anna sopped up the last of the thick liquid with her bread. “Mitch Thompson, you make a better stew than I do.”
“Man’s got to eat. Had enough?”
She nodded, chewing happily as she leaned back.
Mitch slid everything on the table between them to one side. “Ready for some fun?”
The way her gaze bounced off the cleared table space warned him she was thinking far dirtier than he was. At least right now.
When he tossed her a notepad, her face fell.
Mitch snickered. “You were expecting me to lean you over and fuck you for dessert?”
Her eyes flashed. “Are you taking requests?”
“Maybe.” Except, now started the next step. “We’ve been fooling around for months, and I promised to make all your fantasies come true. I need to know what else you want.”
“I could just tell you.” Anna shook the notepad in the air. “I feel like I’m back in an endless efficiency lecture at work.”
A rude noise escaped Mitch. “Stop bullshitting. Just write down the things that come to mind we haven’t tried that you’d really like to do.”
“With you?”
“Hell, yeah.”
“How dirty can I get?”
He grinned.
Anna’s smile bloomed. “You win. This is much better than a staff meeting.”
No hesitation. Just like she had done since they’d started this relationship, Anna dove in. Pen to paper, writing rapidly.
He’d jotted down his items beforehand, which meant he had the time to observe her. Call it cheating if you want, but he’d figured he had to have his plan fully in place to have a chance for it to work, and besides, he loved to watch her move. Even if it was just rocking in her chair while wearing a determined expression.
The moments when her naughty smile broke through were too brilliant to miss.
Her pen paused, and Mitch straightened instantly. “What?”
She wrinkled her nose. “The concept turns me on, but the logistics…”
Now she had his curiosity tweaked. “Put it down anyway, we’ll see what we can do.”
They both went back to their notepads, but Mitch was ready. Within the next fifteen minutes he’d know if he was going to have his feet kicked out from under him.
As long as he ended up with her on top, he was fine with that.
SHE’D BARELY FINISHED her final sentence when Mitch hauled the pad from under her fingers, exchanging it for his. He flashed his high-beam smile and dropped onto the couch.
Anna shook her head. “So eager to find out my kinks?”
“Of course.”
He patted the spot beside him on the soft leather cushion, but Anna ignored him. It was important to maintain a little space until they got to the actual sex.
“Let’s just see what turns your crank.” She cleared her throat and read the first statement out loud. “Take you dancing at Traders.” What? Anna glanced at where he sprawled lazily before her. “That’s not dirty.”
“The way I do it, it is,” Mitch leered, his gaze stroking her and making her blood pressure rise. “Plus, I’d expect you to wear those sexy red high heels.”
Anna made a face before reading the next item…
…and the next, her anticipation turning to panic faster than she’d have thought possible.
Shit. She was in big trouble. She shot to her feet and dashed to the couch, reaching for the pad Mitch was reading.
“Uh-uh. I’m not done,” he warned, holding the pages out of reach.
Anna ignored how rude her actions were. She crawled over him, scrambling to retrieve her list. “You cheated. Give it back.”
He wrapped an arm around her, and the next thing she knew she was on the couch under him, wrists trapped in his firm grasp. His dark eyes pinned her in place as well. “I don’t cheat.”
Her heart raced, half from the position they were in, half from the knowledge of what she’d written on the pad he held from her. “Mitch. You said to list all the things—”
“—we want to try with each other. Right. And that’s what I did.”
“This is not about—”
He kissed her. Full-on-sexy, brain-melting kiss with lots of tongue and enthusiasm. The out-of-the-blue attack interrupted her words, to start with, then totally messed with her train of thought until she could barely remember what she wanted to complain about in the first place.
&nbs
p; When he finally let her up for air, happy endorphins were buzzing through her veins harder than the frustration grating her nerves. “I didn’t write that I wanted to be kissed senseless,” she protested out of principle.
“I’ll add it to my list.”
She sighed heavily, the weight of him on top of her making it tough to stick to her guns. “This isn’t supposed to be about dating.”
Mitch shrugged. “It didn’t start that way, no. But I think our plans should change.”
“Mitch.” Her tone was somewhere between exasperated and tormented.
He set her free, pulling her to her feet and against his body. “Go on, admit it. You like me.”
“Of course I do,” Anna snapped. “That has nothing to do with whether I’ll officially date you or not.”
His brows went up, and she had to admit her comment sounded damn stupid. Stupid or worse, rude, as if he was good enough to fuck but not good enough to date, and that was another rabbit hole entirely she’d been ignoring for months.
Mitch skimmed his fingers over her neck then sank them into her hair. “Do you trust me?” he asked, tugging lightly to lift her face toward him.
There was no other answer she could give. “I wouldn’t have started this if I didn’t.”
That gorgeous square-cut jaw with the heavy stubble moved closer, until he was brushing her cheek with his. Every word became a sensual tease. “Give it a try, Constable. Walk on the wild side with me. We’ll go as slow as you feel comfortable, but you know I’m not the big bad wolf everyone makes me out to be.”
“You still have enormous teeth,” she teased, involuntarily trying to shift away as he nibbled on her neck. “Mitch. How could this possibly work between us? I’m a cop.”
“And I’m a decent, upright citizen living in your community,” he insisted. “Who drives a little fast at times.”
She shivered under his touch. The temptation was there, honesty made her admit that. For all his tattoos and fast bike and beefed-up truck—Mitch had never been proven connected with anything more scandalous than a speeding ticket.
