by Em Petrova
Damn if the creases around his eyes didn’t extend as he smiled back.
“You should smile more often, Sheriff. Suits you.”
“I might if I saw less paperwork and more of you.”
Her stomach tingled with warmth. “Well, I have a favor to ask.” She hated doing it, but what else could she do?
“Sure, what is it?”
“You can feel free to say no. You’re a busy man, and my problems—”
“Cecily.” He gripped her upper arms.
“You’ve done so much already. You found me the address for Cole.”
“This has to do with Braden?”
“Brady.” She smacked his shoulder.
His grin widened. “What’s going on?”
“He’s agreed to meet me, but he doesn’t want me to come to his house. He wants to meet in the next town over.”
Judd’s smile fell from his face. “Sounds suspicious.”
“A little like he doesn’t want to be seen with me is my guess.”
He nodded.
She waved a hand. “It’s fine. But my problem is I can’t get to the town. My car’s acting up, sputtering. I’m afraid to drive it and it seems Bracken doesn’t have a rental car place.”
“I’ll take you,” he said at once.
“Are you sure? I was just going to see if one of your deputies—”
He firmed his jaw. “I’ll take you.” He let her go and grabbed his hat off the desk, jamming it atop his head. “I’ll tell Birdie and we’ll be on our way.”
Cecily followed him from the office, admiring his strong back and the way his jeans fit his carved ass to perfection. Now that she knew what was under those clothes, she saw the sheriff in a brand-new light—as a walking gift to womankind. Not only could the man fill out a pair of Wranglers but he ate pussy like it was paying his bills. And he was kind enough to take a woman to meet the husband she hadn’t known about so she could get the annulment papers signed.
Judd stood at the exit and held out his arm, waiting for Cecily. Birdie gave her a wide smile as they left.
“She thinks we’re a couple,” she said to him.
He grunted. “She’s interfering on the best of days. Plus, people are talkin’.”
She shot him a look, unable to gauge his feelings on the subject. He threw her an amused quirk of his lips.
“Now, Cecily, you don’t have to ride in the back of my vehicle this time.”
She flushed hotly and batted at him. “You’re terrible for bringing that up. I thought I was being arrested.”
He dropped a kiss to her temple as he opened the passenger’s door and put her inside. When she glanced back at the building, she swore she saw the blinds separated in the front window near Birdie’s desk, like the woman was spying on them.
Being in Judd’s SUV made Cecily feel jittery. Or maybe that was the big man sliding behind the wheel. They were alone, and they’d had sex. Not just sex—great sex.
He twisted the key in the ignition, his gaze locking her to the seat. “Seatbelt.”
Now she felt like a complete imbecile. She gulped down her embarrassment and fastened her seatbelt.
“You seem a bit nervous, Cecily.”
“I… Yes, a bit.” No point in pretending. She was a grown woman who could face the man who’d given her what—six orgasms in one night?
He reached across the console and rested a hand on her knee, his eyes warm. “Don’t be nervous.”
His hand lay on her leg, a warm weight anchoring her to the seat. Okay, melting her. She felt like taffy. Damn, did she want to be stretched by this man.
“What’s the location?”
She opened a screen on her phone and read the address. “You know the place?” She studied his profile. It was impossible not to be aroused just being in his presence.
He nodded. “Small mom-and-pop place off the highway. Bit off the beaten path but good pie.” He smiled, and her stomach somersaulted.
“Well, since you’re kind enough to drive me, I’ll treat you to some pie.”
Her words fell between them, locked and loaded.
Heat broiled her face, and he laughed, giving her leg another squeeze, this time lighter with a caress of his thumb. Need shot up her leg, making a beeline for her pussy.
While getting ready this morning, she’d stared at the outfits on her bed. A pair of skinny jeans and a red sweater or a dress with a cardigan to keep her warm in the chill mountain air. Thoughts of Judd hiking up her skirt and fingering her the way he had on their date had made her put on the dress.
She could just let her knees fall apart, inviting his touch.
If they veered off the road and plummeted into the ravine, she’d be responsible for killing the sheriff. But she’d die happy.
“Maybe I’ll have more of that pie. Right after it’s a free, unmarried pie.”
“The papers still need to be filed in the courthouse.” Her voice was breathy.
His gaze heated her all over. “Yeah, legal enough for me. Hell, the fact you don’t know his last name works.”
She giggled. “I do know it.”
“You know it now.”
“Shut up.”
The ride was pretty, the road winding. Mountains seemed like huge walls of rock dropped by a giant’s hand amidst the lowlands dotted with cattle. “Where’s your family’s ranch?”
“An hour away.”
“Are you going there this weekend?” Was it selfish of her to want him to remain in Bracken, close at hand so she could maybe text and invite him over?
“Not this weekend. Though my momma’s texted twice asking me to Sunday dinner.”
“Why don’t you go?” she asked.
“Too much work to do.”
“You plan to spend Sunday at your desk?”
“No, I plan to spend it between your legs. In fact…” He pulled off the road onto a dirt lane.
Cecily braced herself in her seat as they bumped down toward a creek with low branches overhanging the road. Holy shit, he’d just said that, hadn’t he? She wasn’t imagining him telling her he was going to spend Sunday between her legs. And it wasn’t even Sunday and he was taking her off-roading.
Goosebumps broke over her, and she tingled in all the right places. She was sure glad she’d chosen the dress—squeezing her way out of skinny jeans when all she’d been eating was pizza for a week wasn’t at all the picture of sexiness she wanted to portray.
Judd put the SUV in park and got out. He circled the vehicle and opened her door. She turned to him slowly, heart thumping in an erratic rhythm as she slid into his arms.
He lifted her, hitched her thighs around his hips. The contact of denim against her bare legs excited the hell out of her.
“You know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”
“Ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He spoke in monosyllables, and his cock was hard steel against her. Her insides quivered at the thought of him sinking deep into her, fucking her—
He opened the back door and settled her on the seat. Then he nudged her thighs apart and occupied the space between them. She scooted closer to bring her aching pussy in contact with the hardness she most wanted. Hell, she’d dreamed of him the past two nights. Of his tongue in places she’d never felt before and him filling her up, stretching her.
She drew his head down and kissed him, letting him feel the need coiled tightly inside her. He groaned as she invaded his mouth with her tongue.
“Fuck, woman, you can’t know how bad I wanted to come over the last few days.”
A thrill hit her and it had more to do with emotions than lust. Yeah, she was falling for the sheriff and was probably being stupid, but she wasn’t able to stop the headlong tumble she was experiencing. It was too easy, like diving into a pond after a hot summer day.
He rocked his hips, grinding his cock into her body. She grabbed him and yanked him down. He lifted her off the seat and moved her fully inside the vehicle like a big cat dragging its prey.
His kisses turned carnal as she tore at his shirt. He had her dress up around her hips and was edging his fingers under her panties.
“Fuuuuck, you’re soaking for me, baby doll.”
In the office, she was Cecily. Now baby doll. And Judd was like a completely different man. Even his eyes changed from a warm glow to a dark glimmer that ignited her in all the right places.
He pressed her clit into her body, the pad of his thumb making her twitch and writhe.
“Take me, Judd. I’ve got condoms in my purse—”
“I got it. But I’m not ready yet. I plan to take my time with you.”
Nothing could instill more frustration and longing in her at the same time. She moaned and tried to haul his hips closer where she wanted them.
He strummed her nipple, making it harden within her bra. The tightness inside her had her throbbing, crazed. She plastered her hands to his rock-hard ass and shimmied her hips against him.
“Fuck, keep that up and you will find out how serious I am about taking my time.”
She was on the verge of begging. “Judd…” She scraped her teeth over his neck, and he growled in response.
But he wouldn’t be hurried. He reached into the low neck of her dress and pulled one breast out to suck. Then the other. Maddening twirls of his tongue that had her gasping. When he finally lifted his head and nailed her in that intense stare, she stopped breathing.
He threw a look toward the floor. Back to her. To the floor again.
She turned her head and from the corner of her eye caught sight of the rope coiled there. She pivoted her head back to stare into Judd’s eyes. “Go on. I know you want to.”
His Adam’s apple worked up his tanned throat and then down again. His eyes darkened further. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I know you want to tie me up. I see it in your eyes.”
“Fucking hell. You don’t know. You can’t.”
She leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Do it, Judd.”
In seconds she found herself naked on the seat, hands bound, legs thrown over Judd’s shoulders as he fucked her with hard whiplashes of his hips. His cock expanded her insides so right, and that burning need shot her higher and higher. She couldn’t think straight or guess where his mouth or fingers would land next. One minute he was sucking her nipple, the next biting into her shoulder. The next his fingers worked between their bodies, rubbing her clit into a hard knot of nerves.
She came the first time, mouth open on a silent scream as her body scorched with waves of heat. He didn’t let up, only lifted her thighs higher, getting the best, deepest angle, and thrusting into her until sweat stood out on his brow.
She wanted to hold on to him but the hemp around her wrists prevented her. She tugged at her bonds, more excited than she’d ever been. The small confines of the back seat was filled with sounds of their pleasure, grunts and the slick moves of his cock in her pussy.
“Judd. Oh my God. Right there.” She looked into his eyes, and seeing the glint of raw need there, came around him.
“That’s it, baby doll. Come all over my cock. Come on…” He bit off, teeth bared as she felt the heat of his release. He kissed her like a drowning man, tongue deep, seeking refuge. Or was that an apology?
She used her legs to wrap him close as he rode out his orgasm with her.
* * * * *
Fuck it, all, he’d lost his mind. Or he’d found it. Either way, it was flooded with the words of his ex—sickness, disgusting. You can’t treat women like that. You can’t give us pretty things and then demand we get on our knees for you and let you do these sick things to us.
Roughly, he pulled the loop on the rope tied around Cecily’s hands, freeing her. She flexed her wrists and he was satisfied she could move them well enough, but he couldn’t bear to look at her for long.
The truck door still hung open and he slid out till his boots touched the ground. He dealt with the condom, dropping it into an empty soda cup on the floor and pulled up his jeans.
He’d never wanted to treat her this way. Had done everything in his power to stop it.
Then she’d spotted that rope and egged him on. Fuck, the woman had no idea…
But she’d liked it.
No, fucking loved it.
She’d been wild underneath him, demanding he give it all to her. Just like the last time, when he’d shown his rougher side with the bite marks, she’d gotten that look in her eye that said—
No, it was his imagination, his dark leanings driving him to see what he wanted to see. Nice women, ones he knew around here, didn’t like the same things he did.
She sat up, looking disheveled and sexy as fuck. He groaned at the red marks lining the tops of her breasts and the beard burn on her throat. She was about to present her ex with annulment papers looking like a very ravished, very satisfied woman.
He adjusted himself and zipped his fly. “You all right?” He kept his voice pitched low. He’d scared her enough for one day.
She gave him a soft smile and scooted down the seat to put her arms around him. Pressing her cheek to his chest and holding him. His heart did a thousand stutters before he got a grip.
He dropped a tender kiss to her brow and pushed back. “Let’s go get your annulment.”
Chapter Seven
The minute Judd pulled up in front of Cecily’s spa again several hours later, her heart dropped straight to her cowgirl boots. What the…?
“Jesus Christ,” he grated out, throwing the SUV into park and leaping out before it had finished rocking on its tires.
He pulled his sidearm and ran the few steps to the open door of her shop while Cecily sat there dumbfounded.
This time the door wasn’t damaged, but someone had still broken through the keypad lock. The one she’d believed would be so tamper-proof.
Her throat closed off as she realized the dangers that might be lurking within. Judd had disappeared inside, and anybody could be waiting to jump him.
She leaped out and ran inside.
He threw her a look over his shoulder. “Wait outside.”
“But—”
“Wait. Outside,” he bit off.
Drifting back to the sidewalk, she stood with hands knotted for five full heartbeats before realizing she should call for backup. She reached into the SUV for her handbag and cell phone and then realized his CB was right there—instant communication.
She picked it up and depressed the button on the side. She’d never used a CB radio before, but she’d seen plenty of old movies. “Um, Birdie?”
“Who’s this?” The surprise in her tone was unmistakable.
“Cecily. Someone broke into my place again and Judd’s inside. Alone.” Her voice quavered.
“Sit tight. I’ll get a deputy out to you. Stay outside and wait for my instruction.”
“But Judd—”
“Will be okay,” she finished for Cecily. The woman had to know what a stubborn man Judd Roshannon was and that he wasn’t going to listen to anybody telling him to wait for backup.
Cecily trembled on unsteady legs for long seconds before Judd spoke behind her. “Cecily.”
“Oh my God.” She threw her arms around him, sucking in huge breaths of his scent. He was okay, unharmed.
He squeezed her once and then set her away from him. He’d stowed away his sidearm again. It rode on his hip, a reminder that he was a tough man and if he’d found anybody inside her shop, he might have fired his weapon.
She shook harder.
“Sit down before you collapse. It’s all right.”
“M-my shop? It’s okay?”
He compressed his lips into a white line. “You didn’t tell me you’d gotten more supplies shipped in.”
That must mean—
She ran past him and barreled into her shop. She shouldn’t be surprised by the destruction. Every single box and bottle she’d just received destroyed, her beauty chair on the floor with the backrest broken off. The other on its
side with slashes in the seat and several pairs of scissors stabbed deep into the back.
She raised a trembling hand to her lips. “Who is doing this?”
Judd rested a hand on her shoulder. “I swear to you I’ll find out.”
“Maybe it’s time I go. I can’t recover from this again. I thought… I had to try again, didn’t I? I couldn’t just lie down and let them drive me away. But now I think it’s time.”
“No.” His voice sounded like he’d skidded on gravel. “I’ll handle this, I promise you, Cecily.”
She whirled to face him. “How? What are you going to do that you haven’t before? There are no leads, nobody’s seen anything. The security cameras on the streets don’t show anything.”
He gathered her close with an arm around her waist. Cupping her head in his other hand, he held her against his strong, comforting body. “I’ll find him and put an end to it. But you can’t go.”
She took a hitching breath and released it slowly.
“Your cash?” he asked.
“I only had a few clients this week. A couple repeats from before. Not a lot of cash on hand, but I have it with me.” A thought hit her and she jerked in his hold. “My apartment!”
“Is okay. Untouched.” He stroked her hair over her spine in repeated motions meant to soothe. But she was so edgy, she had no sense of ever being relaxed again. Their time together in the back of the SUV was a distant memory, let alone the drive home where Judd had held her hand gently and they discussed their lives.
“Cecily, I need you to think hard about your actions lately.”
She drew away and searched his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Have you ever locked up the shop while anybody was around?”
“What? No, why?”
“Because the door isn’t forced, that lock is intact.”
Confused, she stared at him.
“Whoever entered your shop has your passcode.”
* * * * *
After a full day of hard work, Cecily juggled a coffee cup and a bag from the hardware store. She unlocked the front door and switched the sign from CLOSED to OPEN.
