“If we do, you have to promise to lay off my family. You can’t come in our home and take pictures or question our lifestyle.”
His gray eyes darkened with desire, just like last night.
He nodded. “Agreed.” Tillman’s gaze swept over her body and she closed her eyes, remembering the feel of his hard muscles and his hands cupping her ass, pressing her into his erection. She’d wanted him for too long to stop now.
As if sensing her weakness, Tillman rained soft kisses down on her forehead, her cheeks and the sweet spot on the side of her throat. “C’mon, baby.” He gave a lopsided grin. “Hell, I’ve wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you.”
The admission warmed Shelly’s heart, emboldened her courage. But did he really mean it? Had he fantasized about her like she had him? She took a deep breath. He obviously wanted her now. Maybe if she was careful and guarded her heart, she could enjoy an affair for as long as it lasted. She hadn’t felt this way since college and she wasn’t going to hold back with this man. Not physically, anyway. She smiled softly. “Okay, we’ll start over.” She pressed her body and lips tight against him, wetting the front of his uniform. “Hello,” she said in a voice low and gruff with need, “my name is Shelly.”
His eyes lit up. “Well, h-e-l-l-o, Shelly.” His mouth descended again, this time meeting her lips.
Tillman felt warm and strong, a safe haven. At his low moan she corrected herself. He was an exciting haven.
This was what she needed, pure sex with no entanglements.
* * *
Tillman couldn’t believe his luck. He hadn’t expected a second chance or such a passionate reception. Shelly was so damn hot, so damn sweet. Her lips parted as he kissed her, her mouth wet and warm like her skin. He placed his hands on her lower back and squeezed, pulling Shelly hard against him, his hips pressed to hers. Their tongues met, hungry, greedy for more. Tillman ran a palm over her tight buttocks, smiling as he remembered the sight of her bathing suit slipping up her ass when he’d come to pick up Eddie. It had taken all his self-control not to grab her then, in this very room, in front of Eddie and the senior citizens.
His fingers pushed aside the wet spandex of her bathing suit to stroke her firm bottom, the way he’d been aching to do since he first saw her. Her soft gasp made him pause. Was he moving too fast? Shelly pulled him even closer, so close his erection throbbed against her abdomen.
Still not close enough. He lifted her up so that his arousal rubbed the apex between her thighs. Through a red haze of lust, he became aware that she was undoing his buckle.
“Do you think we’re truly alone?” She hesitated, hands stilled on his belt.
“Jim’s gone and I locked the door behind him.” His voice was husky, strained. Tillman unzipped his pants and shucked them along with his shoes. When he turned back to Shelly she gave a mysterious smile and stepped away, one step lower in the pool. Her hands reached up and pulled down the shoulders of her bathing suit. She kept her eyes on his as she rolled it down over her hips and stepped out of it.
She was gloriously nude. Her breasts were full and milky-white in the dim light. His eyes traveled farther down to her dark patch of hair. Shelly crooked a finger. “Come play with me.”
Tillman raced to get out of his shirt and briefs. When he stepped into the warm pool, Shelly backed up, enticing him deeper into the water. At his eager lunge forward, she laughed. “Catch me.”
Three seconds later he did. “Come here, woman. There’s no escaping me now.” She shrieked playfully and splashed him as he scooped her to him, naked skin against naked skin.
Much better.
The playfulness died as he cupped her face in his hands. Shelly’s green eyes widened, deepened, and he’d never seen anything sexier than the sparkle of water on her ivory skin. Tillman lowered his body, face level to her breast, and wrapped his tongue around a puckered nipple. He felt her legs wrap around his back and her fingers press against the back of his scalp, urging him to put more of her breast in his mouth. When he sucked, she moaned in pleasure. He inserted a finger past her swollen folds, into her core and felt a different kind of dampness, hot and ready for him. It had been far too long. Sex—the ultimate stress release.
Fever overtook him and all he could think about was being inside Shelly. He drew back his finger and slowly entered again. Tillman lost contact with his surroundings as he concentrated on the sensation of their intimate rhythm. He inhaled deeply, trying to make this last as long as possible. Hell, he wasn’t a teenager on his first skinny-dipping experience and he wanted to pleasure Shelly first.
Her hands shifted from the back of his neck, pushed aside his hands on her and moved to cup his erection. Tillman gritted his teeth. This taking-his-time business wasn’t going to work if she continued. He eased away.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in that low, sexy voice of an aroused woman.
He clasped her hands and spun her body in a circle, letting the water form an eddy around them.
“Slowing the pace so I don’t embarrass myself,” he admitted.
She threw her head back and laughed. He marveled at how natural and free Shelly was tonight, as if the water had cleansed the inhibitions he’d sensed she had when they went to dinner. Even the sound of her voice was a sensual caress on his ears. He pulled her back against him and they kissed again, tender at first but quickly turning frantic. Shelly nibbled his ear. “Sheriff Angier, if you don’t make me your prisoner immediately I’ll have to file a complaint.”
Tillman slipped an arm beneath her legs and picked her up. “In that case, I hereby place you under arrest.” He carried her toward the pool steps.
“Where are you taking me, Sheriff?”
He paused, uncertain. He clearly hadn’t thought this all the way through. He was willing to have sex on the cement floor if need be, but that was hardly the way he wanted Shelly to remember their first time together. “Is there a place we can go? I mean the water’s great for foreplay but maybe we need more privacy in case anyone comes back....” His voice trailed off. “We could go to my cabin,” he added, although he hoped she wouldn’t agree to that suggestion. He wanted her now.
Shelly slipped from his arm and took his hand. “I can’t wait that long. Follow me.”
Curious, he let himself be led away, admiring her petite, shapely body. Firm in all the right places but curvy like he appreciated. At the back of the pool room was a small side door that she pushed open.
“This used to be a massage room.”
“I had no idea the town of Bayou La Siryna afforded such amenities.” He looked around the tiny room, which consisted of nothing more than shelves of white towels on its back wall and a worn leather massage table in the center. He picked up one of the towels and rubbed Shelly down with it. When he was sure she was dried off, he took the towel and rubbed it slowly across her breasts, tantalizing her with its roughness as his mouth nuzzled the side of her neck. “Don’t want you to get cold.” He grabbed another towel and ran it through her long, wet hair.
“I’m sure you’ll keep me warm.” She returned the favor, getting a fresh towel and sweeping it over his body. “Turn around and let me get your back,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She slapped his buttocks playfully. Tillman kissed her until they were both panting. She stepped away and found a white sheet with the towels and placed it on top of the massage table. She climbed up and lay on it.
He’d never seen such a glorious woman. Ever. Wet strands of honey-colored hair fanned the white sheets as she stretched out, eyes lit with feminine desire. Shelly raised her arms and he willingly did as she beckoned. He lowered his body over hers, leaned his elbows on the side of the table and hovered. “You’re sure about this?”
She arched her hips upward. “Positive.”
Thank God. He slid into her warm heat, watched her half-lidded eyes glaze in passion, her mouth part in a small O as her breasts rose and fell from sharp pants. He couldn’t
tear his eyes away as she whimpered her pleasure.
He withdrew and moved his mouth down her rib cage, pausing to lick a few drops of water that had pooled in her belly button before trailing his tongue over the salty, flawless skin of her flat abdomen. He didn’t stop until his mouth and tongue were over the folds of her hot, moist core, tasting the very essence of her.
“Tillman.”
Through the thick haze of lust he heard his name and looked up. Shelly beckoned him with her arms. “I want you back in me. Now.”
Damn, if she wasn’t the most beautiful and exciting woman he’d ever seen. Her blond hair curled in soft ringlets all the way down to her hips, framing fair skin that actually seemed to subtly sparkle like pixie dust. Her green eyes were the color of the deep ocean and just as mysterious. The curve of her hips and lushness of her breasts made him wild with need.
He slid back into her, as eager as she was for release. He rocked into her slowly, savoring the pulsating and throbbing of his swollen member. Shelly tried to quicken the pace but he held firm with slow, deliberate movements. Her fingers clutched his buttocks, frantically trying to push him to proceed faster, harder. At last, Shelly moaned and the sound clawed at his guts, made him lose the tight control he’d always maintained with other women. With Shelly, there was no holding back, and as her body spasmed and tightened beneath and around him, Tillman thrust into her deeply, furiously, lost in desire until he went over the edge and allowed his own release.
* * *
Afterward, as they lay together and he stroked the smooth, soft contours of her face and neck, he realized he didn’t want the night to end. “Stay with me tonight,” he whispered.
“At your cabin?”
At his nod, she lifted one of his hands and kissed the inside of his palm. “Yes.”
Such a small gesture, yet his body tightened with desire again. Next time, she deserved the comfort of his bed. “Let’s get moving.”
They returned poolside, where he reluctantly put on his dampened uniform while Shelly pulled on the T-shirt and yoga pants that were in her tote bag.
Barefoot, no makeup and no artifice, Shelly was still a natural beauty. In her oversize Bama T-shirt, long blond hair drying in loose waves that cascaded to her hips, she grinned and patted his wet shirt. “Sorry about that. Hope you don’t get cold.”
“Don’t be, it’s raining outside and we’ll both get wet anyway.” But even if he had to go naked into the Antarctic, tonight was worth it. He looked around the room and grinned. “Don’t think I’ll ever view this place the same whenever I pick up Eddie.” He glanced at his watch. It was 10:40 p.m. Eddie would be in bed by now, Mom would be either asleep or...indisposed.
They joined hands and strolled out of the building. Tillman tensed as a truck hurtled into the empty parking lot, bright headlights focused on the two of them. He pushed Shelly behind him and reached for his holster.
Shelly stepped up from behind him. “I think it’s Jet.”
A door opened and Jet spilled out. “Shelly! You okay?” Another door opened and a woman that could have been Shelly’s twin emerged from the passenger side.
“I’m fine,” she called out.
Jet stomped over. “Why the hell haven’t you been answering your cell? Lily and I were scared shitless.”
“Um, sorry. I was...busy.”
Jet turned her anger toward him and scowled. “You again.”
“Play nice,” Shelly warned.
But he focused on the infamous Lily, who sauntered over, scooping a lock of her hair and draping it around her neck like a scarf. She had long hair like Shelly, but her eyes were blue instead of green and she was a good two to three inches shorter. Still, the resemblance between them was clear. She held out a perfectly manicured hand. “Tillman? Nice to finally meet you.”
“Sorry,” Shelly interrupted. “Tillman, this is my cousin Lily.”
“Amazing.” He shook Lily’s hand.
“What’s amazing?” Shelly asked with an edge of tartness.
“How much you two look alike.” Tillman withdrew his hand and raised an eyebrow at Shelly, who looked a tad sheepish.
Lily shrugged. “Yeah, everybody says that. Looks like you two were having fun tonight.” She winked at him.
“Why the hell is there a Sheriff’s Office car parked in our yard?” Jet demanded.
“Shelly’s been threatened, so I’m having one of my officers periodically check the area for signs of an intruder.”
If he thought Jet would thank him, he was wrong. It was like she went out of her way to be nasty. “Have you got a problem with me?” Tillman asked, keeping his tone light. “Or is it that you don’t like anybody from law enforcement?”
Jet’s dark eyes flashed in challenge. “Only cops who run checks on me and take pictures of my personal property.”
“Shouldn’t matter if you’ve nothing to hide.” He folded his arms, daring Jet to incriminate herself.
“I haven’t been convicted of anything.”
“True. But your boyfriend can’t say the same.”
He heard Shelly’s quick intake of breath. Even in the darkness he could see her cheeks redden. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Jet said. Her shrill voice rang out in the night. “It’s over. None of this is your fucking business, anyway.”
Shelly tugged at his arm but Tillman stood his ground. So Shelly told them what happened. Good. Might as well get it all out in the open. “I’ve already apologized to Shelly. Can’t blame me for being suspicious when I see thousands of dollars’ worth of rare artifacts lying around.”
“What are you saying? You think our stuff is stolen goods? All you crooked cops are the same. You’re no different than your father.”
Surprise rooted him to the spot.
“Wh-what are you saying, Jet?” Shelly whispered.
A soft hum arose, penetrating his disturbed thoughts. They all turned to Lily, the only seemingly calm one amongst them. He caught Shelly making a quick chop motion at her throat to Lily, who stopped humming abruptly.
“Only trying to take down the tension a notch,” she said softly.
“That won’t work with me,” Jet said in a clipped tone. “If the sheriff is accusing us of something, we have the right to know.”
Tillman held up a hand. “Back it up. What does any of this have to do with my dad?”
“Because Sheriff Frank Angier was nothing but a low-down extortionist. Cops find something illegal, they figure they can turn a blind eye and make a little money under the table.”
“Jet! Stop it.” Shelly’s eyes and mouth were wide with horror.
Jet’s eyes softened a fraction. “Sorry, babe. It had to come out sooner or later with you seeing his son.”
Tillman gritted his teeth to keep from losing it with Jet. “My father was a well-respected man in this community who served over thirty years as sheriff with no blemish of any kind on his record.”
“He blackmailed Perry and me for years, right up until his heart attack.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” She regarded him coolly, challenging his beliefs.
Tillman briefly shut his eyes, picturing his dad. Always working so hard, always providing his family with a good life...therapy for Eddie, a private school for him and the opportunity for his wife to stay at home with the kids. No! Not his dad, he refused to believe it. For some reason, Shelly’s cousin wanted to drive a wedge between them, that’s all. He drew on his years of police training and experience to keep a calm demeanor. “That’s pretty low, Jet. Making unfounded accusations against a dead man unable to defend his name. But for the sake of argument, what criminal activity were you and Perry involved in that you’d have to pay blackmail?”
“Your dad claimed we were stealing, running some kind of illegal black market for marine artifacts.”
“Were you?”
“You expect me to admit guilt? Even if we were stealing—and I’m not saying we did—your dad should have arrested us inst
ead of blackmailing us, right? That’s what an honest cop would do.” Jet compressed her lips, as if to stop from saying more, before storming back to the truck. Lily gave Shelly a quick, fierce hug and whispered something in her ear before joining Jet in the truck. Jet gunned the motor and they roared off.
“What did she say?”
Shelly’s mouth twisted. “Something to the effect of ‘family comes first.’”
Fury whipped through him. So they thought they could trash his father and Shelly was supposed to go along with them? “Had Jet told you this before about my father?”
“I swear, I didn’t know anything about it. My cousins can be pretty closemouthed around me.”
She reached out to touch him and he stepped back.
“Don’t you believe me?”
“I don’t know what to believe. But if there’s one thing I won’t tolerate it’s someone lying to me.”
Shelly’s eyes narrowed. “I understand you’re upset. But now I’m starting to get pissed, too. For the last time, I don’t know anything about a blackmailing scheme.”
His thoughts whirled in a jumble of anger and surprise. Best to find out the truth and say nothing more until he had proof one way or the other. “Maybe we should go our separate ways tonight,” he said at last.
“Maybe we should,” she agreed quietly.
Tillman watched as she got in her vehicle and drove off, already regretting his rash words. But something was weird about this family and he meant to find out what. As for Shelly...it might be over as fast as the passion had flared between them.
The realization left him cold. Somehow, the woman had got under his skin and he couldn’t stop thinking about her, or worrying that she might be in danger.
* * *
Melkie squinted through the rain-splattered windshield. No mistaking it. An Englazia County Sheriff’s car was parked in front of the mermaid house. The cops were on to him. First the visit this morning, and now this.
How? He gripped the steering wheel tightly, as if it was one of those hookers’ necks and he was choking the life out of it.
His first impulse was to hit the accelerator but he forced himself to drive the speed limit. Never call attention to yourself. He shouldn’t have come out tonight. He left, expecting blue lights and sirens to flash behind him any moment. Melkie pulled Reb close and the dog licked his face. Despite his pet’s devotion, each swish of the windshield wipers taunted Melkie.
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