She wasn’t there. Shit. Had she sneaked out without Connie’s knowledge? His muscles tensed.
His shoulders were halfway turned to leave when the bathroom door opened, and Lydia walked out wrapped in a towel that only covered half her pussy—make that half her bare pussy, shaved as clean as a young girl’s. His cock straightened, and it took all his willpower to shift his gaze to her face.
“Sorry. I wanted to be sure you were here.” Lame.
“Oh! I didn’t hear you come in.”
He turned his back. “I knocked.” He swore his face heated. “I came to tell you I brought dinner for you.”
“Aw, you didn’t have to do that.” Her voice softened. She acted like folks didn’t do nice things for her very often.
I wanted to. “I’ll be at my desk. Join me when you can.” He hurried out, not waiting for her answer.
As soon as he closed the door, he leaned against it, his pulse racing and his cock jumping up and down. He grabbed his crotch to adjust his balls. Christ. He’d reacted like a fourteen-year-old boy seeing a naked girl for the first time. She’d fired up his sexual urges by merely standing there. Okay, her naked pussy set him on fire. That wasn’t good. Maybe he should ask Justin to take his spot for the night. He needed to screw his head on before he did anything.
Lydia came out a few minutes later in black stretch pants and a tight turtleneck that showed off as much of her delicious body as it could without displaying any skin. He appreciated her fairly conservative attire, though if she’d worn something to entice, it might have actually been a turnoff. Her lack of makeup and wet hair implied she hadn’t come to seduce him. Good. He might make it through the night without touching her. His mind, however, would be working overtime thinking about what he could do to a woman like Lydia. Shit. His hormones drenched the thinking part of his brain until he couldn’t decide if he should go after her or run away.
Stop tormenting yourself. She’s off-limits. You’re protecting her, for God’s sake.
She pulled over Connie’s chair in front of his desk and sat facing him. “The food smells wonderful.” She smiled and a little bit of his heart quivered.
“You got that right.” He pulled the lids off of both meals. The hot steam wafted through the air and he inhaled.
She took a bite and closed her eyes. “Chelsea is the best cook.”
Boy, did he want to see her react to him that way. “Amen.”
After a few minutes of silence, she put down her fork. “I really do want to thank you for letting me stay here. I know you were sleeping here and I’m sorry I’m intruding. Which bed would like me to take?”
Mine.
“It’s my job to protect. Don’t worry about it.” Now she’d think he didn’t care about her as a person. Way to go, Tom. “The sheets are clean on the bed closest to the bathroom. Connie takes care of us.”
Something akin to jealousy crossed Lydia’s face. “Well, from now on, consider it my job to keep the room spick-and-span.”
“All right then.”
For the rest of the meal, they talked about her two bosses and how she’d come to appreciate the reverend. He told her about a few of his cases he’d worked on, and her interest appeared genuine. She even offered some unusual information on a cold case. It was nice to talk things through with someone so insightful.
She finished her meal and stuffed the plastic silverware in the container. “Did you and Justin come from Colorado together?”
He was surprised she hadn’t heard the whole story. “Yes.”
Her brows rose. “How did you end up in Pleasure, Montana? It’s a far cry from Denver.”
“It’s a long story.”
She shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”
He chuckled. “You’re right.” Leaning back in his seat, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll start with how we met. There was an event that drew us together. A really bad event. I was nineteen when my best friend, Rich, and I went skiing. I thought I was invincible and decided we were too good to pay attention to the ski warnings. It was the one decision in my life I regret the most. There was an avalanche.”
She clasped a hand over her mouth. “Were you caught in it?”
“Unfortunately. We were both pinned under the snow, but I was closer to the surface, so I got out, but I couldn’t find my friend.”
“That must have been terrible.” She leaned closer as if she wanted to give comfort. He appreciated her concern.
He dragged a hand through his hair. “I’d never been more scared in my life.”
“What did you do? Yell for help?”
“Hell yes. I shouted until my voice gave out. I knew he had to be close, so I started digging. Eventually, I couldn’t even feel my fingers or my toes. Only when the sun hit a certain angle did I see the tip of his ski pole.”
“Did you find him?” Her brows pinched together, and her voice came out closer to a whisper.
“Yes. When I uncovered him, he was breathing, but he was really out of it.” The image still burned in his head. Rich’s eyes were glassy and his body so cold, he wasn’t even shivering.
“Then what?”
Given her constant urgings, he must have been staring or something. “When I pulled him out, I could see both his legs were broken.”
“Dear God.”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “I carried him as far as I could until I collapsed. I was sure we were both going to die. After I rested a bit, I picked him up again, but walking through the snow was really hard with Rich on my back. When my energy completely died, I collapsed. I didn’t even realize I had a broken arm. Justin was on ski patrol that day and found us.”
“Justin saved your life?”
“Yeah. With his help, we got Rich down, but he died later that night.”
She cupped her hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was my fault. I decided then and there that I wanted to help other people who might need help.” He drained his coffee cup.
“So you decided to go into law enforcement?”
“Uh-huh. Turns out Justin was at Colorado State studying to be a cop and did volunteer ski patrol work during Christmas break. I transferred there that semester.”
“Why come here, though?”
“We wanted to work together. There were two openings in Pleasure, and we were a good team.”
His cell rang, and he inwardly groaned. He enjoyed talking with her. The usually carefree, flirty woman was gone. In its place was a serious person who seemed to care what he had to say. “Carnes.”
“Someone broke into the liquor store.” It was Justin. “I could use your help.”
“Be right there.” He pocketed his phone. “Sorry. Gotta go. Liquor store got held up.”
Her jaw slackened. “Is anyone hurt?”
He hadn’t remembered to ask. Then again, Justin would have told him if someone had been. “Don’t know the details yet.” He closed the lid on his dinner and shoved it in the small fridge in the corner. “I hate to leave you, but you should be safe here. Please don’t leave the station.”
“Okay.”
“In fact, stay in your room and lock the door. We won’t be far away. Any crazy can come in, so please don’t see what they want if you hear the door open. If they believe no one’s here, they’ll come back later. If it’s a real emergency, they’ll head on over to Doc Trumble’s.”
She nodded. “Be careful.”
She actually looked worried, and his heart warmed. When was the last time he had anyone who cared about him?
* * * *
Lydia took Tom’s warning seriously and stayed in her room. With both men gone, a feeling of vulnerability and isolation took hold as she sat on the bed. To keep from fretting, she reviewed her wonderful time at dinner. She swore she’d felt a connection with him, and it wasn’t just sexual. He seemed interested in what she had a say, something she wasn’t used to. When he told her the story about how he and Justin met, she s
aw a wound so deep her heart nearly broke. How many other people knew the tragedy he lived with every day?
Too bad he got the call just when he was in such a sharing mood. The life of a lawman, even in the small town of Pleasure, seemed to be eventful.
With no TV anywhere in the office, she pulled out her Karen Rose book and settled in. It was probably a bad choice to have grabbed this book from home, as all of Rose’s books scared the hell out of her, but at least she wouldn’t be thinking about what Justin and Tom were doing and how something could go wrong.
About five minutes later, the front door banged open and her heart jumped a notch. If she hadn’t just been reading how the villain was stalking another victim, she wouldn’t have been so edgy.
“Lydia?” one of them shouted. She couldn’t tell who it was, but the person sounded mad.
She glanced around the room looking for something to use as a weapon. Shit. She didn’t have her gun or her pepper spray. She’d hide in the bathroom. Before she made it the locked door to her room smashed open.
Both men strode in.
“You bitch.”
Her heart jumped to her throat. “Me? I didn’t do anything wrong.” But they had.
“You got the law involved. Our scanner said they’d notified the Wyoming police to look out for us, so we couldn’t escape there.”
She advanced to face her accusers. “You robbed me! What did you expect me to do? Write a thank-you note and post it in the paper?”
Harold’s lip sneered. “If you hadn’t locked your bedroom door, we could have gotten something else.”
Her throat dropped to her stomach at their real agenda. She glanced around, praying a weapon had miraculously materialized since she looked a minute ago.
Ed stood behind Harold, his gaze not on her. Reality dawned. “Ed, did you two rob the liquor store?” That would get both Tom and Justin out of the office.
“Not saying.”
“Shut up, Ed.” Harold pushed her down on the bed and straddled her.
Adrenaline gushed through her, and she slammed her knee into his crotch. He cursed and rolled off her. Ed stood there as she sped to the bathroom, praying the inside door had a lock. Once more, she was unable to get the sticky door closed before someone pulled it open. Ed.
He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her through the room. Where was he taking her? Too many victims went along with their kidnappers. She refused to be one. To stop her forward progress, she collapsed to the floor. Her deadweight prevented him from taking her easily.
He ground his teeth. “I’m trying to save you.”
She wanted to believe him. He’d always seemed to be the one manipulated by Harold. Still, going with him might be too stupid.
Harold rushed out, holding his balls. “What the fuck?”
Chapter Four
Justin figured Tom could handle the robbery by himself, especially since he was certain there was something fishy about the theft. Two masked men had come into the liquor store before closing, grabbed two bottles of so-so scotch, and ran out. Who does that when the store was carrying a lot of cash? The thieves had worn gloves, so there was no need to dust for prints. The young man behind the counter hadn’t tried to stop them, despite having a gun stashed within reach. Probably smart on his part since his young wife was expecting their first child any day now.
There were video surveillance cameras rimming the ceiling, but the clerk said the owner was too cheap to put in a working recorder. Go figure.
He’d left Tom to finish up, mostly because having Lydia stay by herself stuck in his craw.
The night air was eerily still as he jogged down the street toward the station. Few people were about even though it wasn’t that late and the wind was calm. He took the four steps to the office two at a time and was stomping the snow off his boots when he noticed two black ski masks tossed in the bushes. His mind raced, along with his heart. Shit.
Shoving open the door, he drew his gun and stopped in his tracks. Ed Trank was dragging Lydia across the floor while she kicked and yelled. His gut nearly exploded.
“Ed!” All he could think about was saving her, the woman who over the months had wedged her way into his heart, despite him doing his damnedest to stop her.
He shot at the ceiling to get the man’s attention, and the insulated tiles crumbled to the floor. Ed let go of Lydia’s arm. He looked behind him before holding up his hands. Justin had gotten halfway to him to make the arrest when Harold barged out the bedroom and drew his weapon.
Justin merely reacted. He aimed and shot the bastard in the arm. Harold dropped his weapon and cursed.
“Kick the gun in the other room.” It took all his effort to control his anger toward the moron.
Sucking in ragged breaths, Harold did as he was told, but not until after he issued a slew of curses.
“Now step toward the desk.” He didn’t need Harold playing hero and shooting his way out.
Keeping an eye on the wounded man, Justin slapped cuffs on Ed and tossed him in the holding cell at the back of the office. He turned to Harold. “Don’t move or this time I’ll aim closer to the center of your slimy body.”
Harold nodded, but he continued to curse and groan as he held his hand over his bleeding arm. With the way Harold moaned, he’d have thought the man was shot in the gut. Justin needed to see that Lydia was all right before he attended to the bastard.
She was fully clothed, so he prayed neither man had touched her. If either had, he might have to inadvertently shoot off someone’s balls.
Lydia stood and brushed off her pants and shirt, acting like nothing had happened, but he could tell from the way her chin wobbled that the attack had shaken her to the core.
He cradled her in his arms. “Did they hurt you?”
She sniffled then placed her head on his shoulder. His heart nearly broke. “Not too much.” She stepped out of his grasp and raised her arms. She pulled up the sleeves on her turtleneck. Blood oozed from her elbows. Her wounds didn’t look serious, but she needed some care.
“I’m going to call the doc for Harold, and then I want to take care of you.”
She swiped a hand over her eyes. “I’m good.”
Lydia would say that. She was the independent type. Anyone who took care of a mother like hers for as long as the two had lived here deserved a medal.
“I still want to take a look. Lemme call Tom to see if he can handle Harold.”
Given these two goons had been stupid enough to toss the two ski masks in the bushes, he knew who’d robbed the liquor store.
Tom answered on the first ring. “Yeah?”
“Come on back here.” He told him about the masks and the attack. “I got Ed Trank locked up, but I need you to make a delivery to doc while I tend to Lydia.”
“She okay?” Worry, mixed with a little bit of panic, filled his voice.
“She’s fine.”
Tom cleared his throat. “Be right there.”
Next, he called Dr. Trumble. The old man grumbled about office hours being closed, but he knew the good doc would never turn down an injured person.
“I can have Tom bring him over to the clinic if that’s easier.”
He thought he caught a sigh of relief. “I’ll be waiting.”
Tom hustled in from down the street and made a beeline for Lydia. Justin’s assumption that she held a special place in his heart appeared correct. Tom and he had shared a woman or two when they worked together in Colorado, but they both understood their decision was based on sex only. Ever since his own mom had left him for another man, leaving him a scared five-year-old, he’d longed for stability. Until recently, Lydia hadn’t fit the bill despite his attraction to her. From what not only Tom said but others as well, she’d changed. Maybe she could be the glue that healed the hole in his heart.
“Tom, get this scum out of here.”
His deputy clasped Lydia’s shoulders and faced her. “You good?” She nodded. “I’m so sorry. We’ll make sure so
meone is with you from now on.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I don’t want to be a burden.”
Harold moaned and dropped to his knees. “I’m dying here.”
Tom glanced over at the poor actor. “Don’t I wish.” He faced Lydia again. “I’ll be back.”
“Hurry.”
Tom grabbed a towel from the med kit and made Harold press it to the wound before escorting him out.
Once they left, Justin grabbed some supplies and led Lydia into the bedroom. Ed grumbled about wanting a lawyer, but he’d deal with the criminal’s concerns later. Lydia was more important.
“Tell me what happened, and be as specific as you can.”
She took a big breath. “I was in the room reading when I heard the front door open. Someone called my name, and he didn’t sound happy. I looked around for a weapon, but couldn’t find anything before Harold broke down the door.”
He could see the latch was toast. “I promise we’ll have to find a better way to protect you.” He checked out her scrapes to determine the extent of her damage. When he was on the ski patrol, he had to deal with lots of medical issues. “First things first. Take off the top so the bandage won’t get in the way when you roll down your sleeves.” He tried to sound as professional as possible. Recommending she change into a short-sleeve T-shirt would have been smarter, but ever since she’d come here, he hadn’t been able to take his mind off her.
She studied him for a moment before lifting her shirt up and over her head. My God. He never expected her to be wearing such a skimpy lace bra in which her tits were practically spilling out of the top. His cock strained against his pants.
“Justin?”
Shit, either he’d been daydreaming, or else she’d noticed his undeniable attraction. That wasn’t good. He was the professional here. “Sorry, just trying to remember if I wanted a 10% povidone-iodine solution or a 1% one to clean your wound.” Could she possibly buy his lame comment?
“Oh.”
With as much care as possible, he cleaned and bandaged the wound. He made sure there were no other scrapes on her back from the dragging. “All good. Go ahead and put on a shirt, but make it short sleeved so it doesn’t mess with my excellent repair.” He smiled, hoping to lighten the mood.
Monroe, Melody S. - Lydia's Passion [Pleasure, Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4
