Winter Awakening (Wyoming Fever Book 4)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “Sounds pretty nutty,” he commented. The doorbell rang and Kate jumped.

  “Are you expecting someone?” she asked, starting to stand up. She grabbed the beer bottles, intending to get out of the way so that he could entertain whoever had just arrived.

  “Nope, sit. I ordered pizza.” He gracefully stood up and walked over to the door, handing the guy several dollars as a tip before closing the door and bringing the pizza back to where they were sitting on the floor.

  “You didn’t!” she whispered with awe in her voice.

  “Micky’s Pizza,” he said, setting it on the floor between them. “I’ll get napkins.”

  Mack glanced over at Kate who, as expected, had already taken a slice of the extra cheese and sausage pizza out of the box. He almost groaned as she lifted the slice high up in the air, her tongue darting out to guide the tip into her mouth. It was an erotic sight and he paused with the napkins in his hand, trying to tamp down the bolt of lust that shot through him. That tongue…images of Kate on her knees, her mouth around his…and that tongue…! He had to stop! The memories were…powerful.

  “Oh, this is so good!” she groaned around a bite of the pizza. “So good! I’ve spent some time in New York City and Micky’s pizza is still so much better than anything I ever found. I don’t know what he puts in the sauce, but it’s amazing!” Then she took another bite, moaning in delight.

  The scents wafted over to him, easing the lust and giving him a moment to calm his body down. Finally, Mack was able to move back to the small “picnic” area and sit down. He took a slice of the pizza, keeping his eyes away from Kate.

  “So, what kinds of cases do you work on, Officer?” she asked.

  He looked at her, his eyes narrowing and he could see the teasing glint in her eyes. He didn’t bother to correct his title this time. “Right now, I’m working on a case involving a murder over off of Yellowstone Road.”

  “A murder?” she repeated.

  He blinked at her, the pizza halfway to his mouth. “That’s my job. I investigate murders, Kate.”

  She smiled, those dimples revealing themselves again. He almost groaned. Damn, he loved those dimples!

  “Yeah, but I just didn’t think there were enough murders around here to require…” she stopped, shrugging and he once again noticed how delicate she looked. He knew that she wasn’t. But there was just something about her that…she felt delicate in his arms.

  Not to mention…those damned dimples.

  “There are enough murders within the city limits and surrounding areas that me and my partner, plus another team, are kept pretty busy.” He shrugged. “It’s not like a big city like Washington, DC where they have a murder practically every day. But we have enough.”

  “Okay, so what’s the weirdest thing that you’ve seen during your time as an officer?”

  He grunted, not acknowledging her jab this time. “There was a guy recently who told us he was mauled by a bear.”

  She blinked. “I’m guessing by your tone, he wasn’t mauled?”

  “Hell no,” he chuckled. “He fell on a rake in his back yard. But he and his neighbor have some sort of ridiculous feud going on and he couldn’t admit that he’d fallen on a damn yard tool. So he came up with a story about a bear coming onto his property and taking a swipe at him before wandering off.”

  She cracked up, shaking her head and Mack had to grit his teeth as the sparkle of her curly, blond hair shimmered in the evening sunshine coming in through the windows.

  “What did you do to him?”

  “Took him to the hospital so that the doctors could sew up the ten puncture wounds in his back, then arrested him for filing a false police report.”

  Another laugh and he just about exploded from the need to kiss her, to absorb that sound into his mouth and his brain. He’d missed that about her. Kate was always so full of laughter and energy! In high school, no matter what was happening, she’d been able to tease him out of his foul moods. After a loss on the football field, Kate would meet him here and kiss him until he could smile again. At which time, he’d take control and make love to her. Well, as far as she’d let him during that first year together.

  “What else?” she asked, pulling him back to the present.

  He told her about the various cases that he’d worked over the years, letting the sound of her laughter fill him up, memorizing the sound so that he could replay it in his mind after she left, once her business here in Cheyenne was concluded. And yes, he knew that she would leave again. Because that was the way of the world, he thought.

  They finished off the pizza as their conversation continued well into the night. Finally though, Kate glanced at the clock over the stove and sighed. “I guess I’d better head back to my house,” she said. “Or rather, Mom’s house. I have a lot of packing to finish up tomorrow and,” she looked up at him, “you have work tomorrow.”

  He couldn’t interpret the expression in her eyes. So instead, he stood up and grabbed the empty pizza box, carrying it to the trash.

  “I’ll walk you home.”

  She shook her head. “No need. I’m just across the street, remember?”

  He stared at her, his protective instincts fighting against his survival instincts. He knew that if he walked her home, he’d want to kiss her. Just as he’d done so often during those high school years. But those walks home had followed a passionate evening here in this house, with Kate in his arms, moaning as they explored their newfound sexuality. They’d been so young. Probably too young to be doing what they did. But it had been blindingly hot, learning how to please each other, finding different ways and going just a little bit further every time until…until they’d culminated their nights in a sexual encounter hotter than anything he’d ever experienced since.

  Still, he was a cop. And it was dark. He didn’t like the thought of Kate walking home alone, even if it was just across the street.

  “How about if I watch you from the porch until you’re inside?” he offered, thinking that was a fair compromise.

  She huffed a bit, then nodded. “Fine!” she sigh. “If you insist on doing the he-man thing, then fine!”

  He rolled his eyes as he extended his hands to help her up. But the moment her fingers touched his, there was a pause as they felt the spark. When he pulled her to her feet, there was another moment as she tilted her head back, looking up into his eyes.

  He wanted to kiss her. He needed to kiss her! It was there in the air, the tension thick enough to walk on.

  But Kate was the first to come to her senses. She pulled back, forcing her lips into a smile. “Thank you for dinner,” she said awkwardly. “And for the shoulder to cry on.” With that, she turned and headed out.

  It took him a moment, but Mack followed, watching until she disappeared into her house. He should have been looking for threats, searching the shadows for danger. But Mack couldn’t rip his gaze away from Kate.

  She still had an incredible ass, he thought as he closed the door and turned off the lights.

  Chapter 5

  Mack considered his options. Gazing at the small house, he acknowledged that there was still an intense attraction between himself and Kate. Even after twelve years, it hadn’t dissipated. In fact, it had actually intensified. He was losing sleep, his concentration was shot to hell and Dean, his partner, was getting ready to kick his ass. The investigation was going nowhere, possibly because Mack wasn’t pulling his weight.

  So, he had two options. He could crash at a friend’s place and sleep on their couch, just to put a bit more distance between himself and Kate. That would keep him from seeing her as she went for a run. Seeing her in her tight running outfits was pure bliss…and pure hell. He wanted to go with her, to run alongside her and talk with her, see where she ran, and…just be with her. And then he wanted to strip those running clothes off and make love to her. He wanted to reveal every inch of her slender, delicate body to his hungry eyes, run his hands over the soft, feminine curves, and hear
her cry out when he brought her to orgasm. Did she still do that soft sighing thing right after? He remembered how she’d wiggle her hips against him, then smiled up into his eyes. Would her ass feel as good in his hands? He’d loved when Kate would climb on top of him, riding him so that he could cup her ass with his hands and watch her breasts dance.

  Running a hand over his face, he took a long sip of the coffee. Then spat it out. When had his coffee gone cold?! He looked around, noticing that he was outside on his front porch in thirty degree weather. At least he’d had the sense to put his boots on this time!

  “Hell!” he muttered, then emptied the rest of his coffee into the dormant hydrangea bush, walking back into his house to leave for the day. He didn’t have time to stand around and wait for Kate to return from her run. He had a murder investigation to solve. Granted, it wasn’t even six o’clock in the morning. But Kate left for her runs at five and…yeah, he’d been waiting to see her come back. He loved seeing her in those tight leggings and form fitting jackets.

  When had he become a voyeur? And when had he become the kind of guy who didn’t act? Why the hell was he standing around, waiting for a woman?!

  With disgust, he shook his head, grabbed his keys, his weapon, and his badge, then headed for his SUV. As he drove to the station, he considered his second option. Option two was that he stop messing around and explore whatever was still happening between himself and Kate. Maybe if he took action, he could have a brief affair with her, just until she left, and then she’d be gone again and he could continue with his life.

  The second option was more to his liking. Primarily because he wasn’t the type who cowered. And sleeping over at his friend’s house was too close to cowering.

  Plus, the second option allowed him to hold Kate in his arms. For however long it lasted, he could enjoy her company and her body. He would give her pleasure and memories to take with her back to Miami, or wherever. And he could get on with his own life.

  Hell, Dean, Simon, and Arik were all married now! Simon and Arik were even talking about babies.

  Babies?! Where the hell had that come from?

  But now that he’d acknowledged the idea, he realized that he wanted a family. Walking into the station, nodding at his fellow officers, he was struck by the idea of a family and realized he’d only been half alive for the past twelve years.

  Had he been waiting for Kate to come back?

  Yeah. Probably. And that pissed him off! He’d gone off to join the Army after she’d gone to college because he hated waiting. But the Army hadn’t solved his problems. It had given him skills and he’d loved his job with the Special Forces. But it hadn’t been enough. Being a detective was much more satisfying and eased a tension in his mind and body. Solving mysteries was the perfect job for him.

  But Kate…Kate was the woman he’d been waiting for. She’d come back to Cheyenne for…well, for as long as it took for her to clean up her mother’s house and put it up for sale. So why not indulge in a little taste of bliss? It wouldn’t hurt as badly this time because he knew she was only here for a short time.

  Yeah, that plan made a hell of a lot more sense than spending the next few weeks couch surfing. Besides, Dean didn’t have a state of the art coffee maker. Mack loved his coffee maker! No way was he doing without it!

  Decision made, he pulled out pictures of the Morani investigation, forcing himself to concentrate on what the hell had happened in that house. By the time Dean, Simon, and Arik walked in two hours later, he had some ideas.

  Chapter 6

  Kate pulled the loaf of bread out of the oven, biting her lip in indecision. “Should I?” she asked the empty kitchen. “It’s really the only polite thing to do,” she told the empty air.

  Smoothing her hands down over her jeans, she debated back and forth with herself. But in the end, she knew what she was going to do.

  Before she could finish the task, the doorbell rang.

  She glanced at the front door, wishing that her mother’s house had a more open style layout. That way, she could look out a window and see who was ringing the doorbell.

  “It’s Mr. Hennesy,” she whispered. “I’ll give the loaf of bread to Mr. Hennesy.”

  Decision made, she walked to the front door, paused to paste a polite smile on her face, then pulled the door open. The squeaking of the heavy door barely registered as she realized that it was Mack standing on the front porch. Not her mother’s seventy year old neighbor.

  “I need your help,” he began.

  Kate blinked, frozen for a moment. Mack needed help? How…unexpected!

  “Sure!” she said, opening the door further, and waving him inside. “I was going to bring you something anyway. So, your visit will save me the trip.”

  He walked into the smallish house, heading straight for the kitchen. He was so tall and big and…just his presence was overwhelming, that she backed up a step as she laid a hand on the still warm bread.

  “Did you…bake that?” he asked, licking his lips as he eyed the golden loaf of bread.

  “Yes. I just…” she stopped when he opened the fridge, and peered inside. “What are you…?”

  She stopped when he pulled out the butter dish. Yes, her mother was old-fashioned enough to still have a butter dish. Kate had never bothered with the dish. She just left the butter in the wax paper wrapper and stuffed it into the fridge. She kept the butter in the small compartment designed to keep butter, with the garlic and yeast.

  “Yes!” he hissed, taking the butter and grabbing a knife. He paused, looking at her. “You were bringing this to me, right?” he asked, but didn’t wait for her response. He was already cutting into the loaf, and grinning at the steam he released. “I don’t care. Whoever you made it for will just have to suffer.” He spread butter over the first slice, pausing to watch the butter melt a little. “Dean’s wife bakes him bread all the time. And cookies. But Dean never brings in any to share with us. He just tells us about it, the ass!”

  He closed his eyes after the first bite, clutching the counter with his free hand and swaying slightly as he savored the bread. She couldn’t help but smile.

  “You like it?” she asked.

  “Hell yes!” he sighed, taking another bite. “Freshly baked bread is…it’s the best thing in the world besides sex. And beer.”

  Kate laughed at his clarification. “Okay, good to know.”

  He finished off the first slice and cut another, smothering it in butter. “Aren’t you going to have some?” he asked as he devoured the second slice.

  “Um…no, that was going to be my gift to you as a thank you for the other night.”

  He blinked at her, startled. “What about the other night?”

  “You let me cry on your shoulder?” she prompted, a little hurt that he didn’t remember.

  “Hell, cry all you want if it gets you to bake bread!” he told her.

  Kate laughed again, charmed by this almost child-like version of Mack. He was always so serious and tough and strong! Seeing him eager, just for something as simple as bread, was a revelation.

  “Good to know that you’re easy,” she replied, leaning a hip against the counter. But that’s when she noticed the fatigue in his features. “Are you okay?”

  He stopped eating. “Absolutely. Never better, actually. Why?”

  “You look tired,” she said. “What’s messing up your sleep?”

  He shook his head dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.” He brushed the crumbs from his fingers over the sink. “But I do need your help with something important.”

  Her eyes widened, then a slow smile formed. “The dangerous Officer Mack needs help? From little old me?” She twisted around as if looking for something. “Hang on. I need to write this date down.”

  He growled then spun her around, pressing his body against hers, imprisoning her against the kitchen sink. “Are you going to be a smart ass? Or are you going to ask me what I need help with?”

  She tilted her head slightly,
those lips curling into a mischievous smile. “I think I’m going to be a smart ass a bit longer.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Get your coat. You’re coming with me.”

  He didn’t give her time to reply, just grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen. Along the way, he grabbed her coat, then her house keys, pulling her out through the front door then locking it carefully.

  “Although the cave-man tactics are interesting,” she teased, “could you at least give me a clue?”

  “I need a sofa. You’re going to help me pick one out.”

  “I am?” she asked, following him down the front steps. Shouldn’t she be packing? The realtor was coming by to do a preliminary estimate on the house tomorrow morning.

  “You are.”

  “What value will I add to your selection process?”

  “You know what looks good and what kinds of furniture will fit the style of my house.” He opened the passenger door to his SUV and eyed her pointedly, waiting for her to get in.

  “How do you know that?” she asked, standing in front of him. She took a moment to look at him, enjoying the scruff on his jawline and the determination in his eyes. This was Mack! And he needed her help! She was tingling with awareness and excitement.

  He shrugged. “I’m guessing you advise brides and grooms on what is tasteful. So, I’m assuming you have good taste.”

  He had a good point. She loved decorating, matching colors and textures, picking out the perfect lighting to make a room or an area stand out.

  “Okay! I’m in!”

  Fifteen minutes later, Mack pulled into the parking lot of one of the furniture stores. Kate was excited to get started. So, she jumped out of the SUV and met him at the back of the vehicle. “Okay, so what colors are you thinking about?”