Flynn's Kiss (Disarmed & Dangerous)

by Diane Saxon

  — •●• —

  Beautiful was the only word she could think of to describe the cowboy who’d just left Toe Tappers. He’d sat partly in the shadows, his perfect profile toward her most the time, but every so often he’d tilted his head, and the flickering light from the wall lantern had slanted across his bright eyes as he gave her a slow, serious perusal.

  His firm lips remained in a straight line for the entire time he’d been there, depicting serious and broody, not normally her type. Quiet and intellectual would be a more accurate description of the sort of man she was drawn to. But when he’d tipped his head back to take a swallow of beer from the bottle he held with long-fingered casualness, her pulse escalated from a leisurely trot to a roaring gallop.

  She’d felt a terrific urge to trace her tongue along his strong, muscular throat and take a good bite of his ear.

  A warm flush stole across her skin as she closed her eyes and imagined what he would smell like—probably leather and horses and masculine heat. Liberty nibbled her bottom lip and allowed herself a secretive smile, thinking of the hot cowboy. No harm in letting her imagination run riot once in a while.

  She cast a quick glance around the empty parking lot before she levered herself into the truck she’d borrowed. Her short legs caused her a little difficulty as her mini-skirt rode farther up her backside and restricted her ability to simply hop in, making her entrance an inelegant affair. Good job nobody was there to see. She sprawled across the leather seat and slithered around in an attempt to straighten up. Almost pitiful no one was there—they could have given her a boost up and saved her some ungainly effort.

  Irritated, her movements short and jerky, she screwed up her face and gave it a brief rub. Stupid of her, she thought—as reality kicked in while she wriggled into the oversized seat—to have any kind of illusion the guy would be interested. Her breath came deeper now and embarrassment tinged every thought. He’d been a god, a certain hunk of the month, a sexy stud who’d left the place with barely a backward glance. She smiled.

  Not quite true, for he had given a quick glimpse over his shoulder, and when his narrow-eyed gaze met hers, she’d almost flung herself off the stage and hurtled after him. Except he’d gone in the blink of an eye, and it was too late to catch up. Besides, there was no reason he would possibly be interested in her. There was no need for him to look twice.

  She was quite ordinary.

  She fired the engine of the truck, pressed her foot to the accelerator, fishtailed out of the parking lot, and glanced in the rearview mirror to see a burst of small stones spraying up in the truck’s wake in a clear indication of its driver’s irritation.

  She’d been alone far too long. Eleven months in New Zealand’s outback with barely another human being in sight had taken its toll this time. Grueling was not a strong enough word. There wasn’t a survivalist in the world who would argue the fact she’d achieved an enormous feat. Almost ninety percent of the time had been spent on her own studying molecular bacteriology and pathogens relating to the ecology and evolution of the microbial populations of New Zealand.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t love her work. It was simply she had been so deprived of company she had gone stir crazy, and the male population, according to her hormones, was in danger.

  Not entirely. She gave a bitter smile as she remembered her brief encounter a few nights previously with Buddy, one of the local ranch hands. Naïvely, she’d allowed him to walk her to her truck in the belief the cowboy might be an interesting diversion. He’d seemed fairly nice at the time, if a little dim, but she should have realized he’d had a little too much to drink and was a bit rough around the edges.

  She’d thought it might suit her to try someone more down to earth; she’d always gone for the cerebral, the skinny geek who could keep her interested in his mind but never had much in the way of a buff body to entertain her. Unfortunately, this diversion had given her a rough, sloppy kiss accompanied by a hard squeeze of her left breast, which had turned her stomach and made her carefully decline any further advances. It appeared she was still discerning enough not to want a quick grope in the back seat of a truck. She puffed out an irritated breath, and the strands of her bangs fluttered against her forehead. Not so discerning—the good-looking cowboy with the bright eyes would be most welcome to a quick grope in the backseat of a truck with her. Dear God, he’d be welcome.

  A delicious shudder trembled through her stomach to send gentle reminders of a stronger pull ribboning outward until her fingers and toes tingled. She clucked her tongue as it refused to move in the dryness of her own mouth. She recalled his gorgeous-toned body, clothed in snug-fitting faded jeans and a plain black shirt. He’d had a smooth casual stride as he walked toward the exit, and when he’d half-turned to glance back, she thought he might change his mind about leaving. She’d caught his eye, and delicious warmth had crept over her chest and up her throat, only to be doused in cool disappointment as the sexy man banged the door shut behind him.

  Regret at his departure had put a dampener on the rest of the evening. His exit may have been more to do with the arrival of the deputy sheriff. Their exchange looked easy enough, but it was only moments later the handsome cowboy got up and left. Possibly the deputy sheriff had moved him on. But in a strange turn of events, she’d felt lonely without him there.

  She heaved a sigh and yanked the steering wheel to send the truck racing down the dirt track leading to the lodge Jack had given her on the ranch. It was meant to afford her some privacy so she could carry on her work. Privacy was one thing, loneliness was something else entirely different.

  She slipped from the vehicle and let herself into the secluded lodge to be greeted by nothing but heavy, silent darkness.

  She switched on all the lights as she made her way through the small building, to push back the shadows and the loneliness while she gave the cute guy one last regretful thought.

  Chances were, he was either married or passing through, and she’d probably never see him again.

  Chapter Two

  “Liberty, have you met Flynn?” Kate stepped forward to introduce him as he entered the large, cool kitchen.

  “No, I…”

  The bubbly brunette from Toe Tappers stepped forward, her curvaceous little body decked out in a fluorescent pink skirt capable of burning his retinas and a strappy black T-shirt that clung in desperation to her rounded breasts. A huge smile stretched wide, flashing even white teeth, as she reached her hand out in greeting. Mean-minded, he deliberately turned his face straight on to her, gave a wide vicious smile, and narrowed his eyes to gauge the full impact his damaged features would have. He braced himself to witness the familiar revulsion, frustrated to find himself holding his breath, a smile painted on while he waited for her reaction.

  He watched her liquid violet eyes open wide, and as expected, her beautiful smile froze in place and a small gasp emitted from her soft lips. Disappointment curled in his belly, surprising him. He’d never expected anything other than a shocked reaction, but for some reason, he’d held out a vague hope she might be different. It appeared she was just like all the others with her wide eyes and her shiny pink lips parted in shock.

  What he never anticipated was the immediate recovery whipping her expression from quick surprise to curiosity. Empathy filled those stunning eyes as she continued forward. His breath lodged solid in his chest as she placed herself directly in his pathway.

  Instead of offering her hand to shake his, she stretched hers out and almost stroked his face with her fingers before his astonished system snapped into action and he snatched her hand away, grabbing her wrist in a vise-like grip, turning her skin white.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Satisfied with the sharp, surprised squeak in response to his aggressive growl, she confused him when she made no attempt to withdraw.

  Shock flashed through the deep violet pools, pupils dilated, her thick black lashes fluttered, but as she continued to stare, he could detect no revulsi
on, just inquisitiveness.

  “I’m sorry…” but she didn’t seem it. Her initial surprise at his touch had disappeared without trace. There was no embarrassed flush to her fair skin, no skimming her eyes away. She returned his stare with a boldness that threatened to make him run as her gaze scanned his face and she leaned in closer.

  He stepped back, flicked a panicked glance at Kate, whose cool, clear gaze seemed to sweep over them both with a calm observation and a small intrigued smile. The woman was Kate’s friend; he wasn’t likely to get any help from that quarter.

  His heart lurched painfully in his chest. Jesus Christ, he didn’t need this. He didn’t want people to see his weakness, and right now, this nosy little woman made him feel exposed. She stared at him as though she had just placed him under a microscope and was trying to decipher whether or not she had discovered something of interest.

  Her gaze gave a bold sweep as she perused his face, tracking both sides at her leisure; she scanned the contrast between left and right as though she was trying to see what he had looked like before. When her attention centered on his mouth and stayed, he felt a bolt of molten lava shoot through his veins straight to his dick, rendering him incapable of any further action or thought.

  “I’m sorry.” She repeated, her smooth English voice a balm to his roiling senses. She gave a brief touch of the tip of her pink tongue to her bottom lip, and the balm her voice had administered was washed away in a flaming contrast of unexpected lust.

  He still held her wrist in his own limp fingers, unable to maintain the grip, incapable of letting go. She only needed to give a small tug and she would be free, but she chose to leave her cool, soft skin encased in the raging inferno of his rough palm.

  “I saw you last night.” She tilted her head, and a small smile played over her lips.

  He allowed their hands to drop to his side as he listened to her soothing voice, kept his fingers looped around her wrist, and convinced himself it was in case she tried to touch him again. Her mouth stretched wider into an easy smile, a little shrug jolted her shoulders, and before he could stop, he found himself responding, his tight lips relaxed, smoothed out into a more natural-feeling smile.

  “You left early.”

  He gave a long, slow blink, surprised she’d remembered him, and the smile slid from his face. He thought she’d been drunk.

  “You were singing.” He responded without having realized he was going to.

  Her eyes twinkled as though she were pleased he remembered her.

  “I was having fun.”

  “You do know you can’t sing, don’t you?”

  The delicate move of her shoulder drew his attention to her fine, slender neck.

  “It’s not about the singing, it’s about the enjoyment.”

  “You’d had too much to drink,” he shot back, his gaze bouncing back to hers before he allowed it drop any farther to the enticing curve of her bosom. Was it reproach he heard in his own voice? He could have kicked his own ass for making a comment like that. Not only was she going to think he’d paid more attention than he had, but he had no right to judge.

  Warm, unrepentant laughter flowed around him.

  “No, I hadn’t. I don’t need alcohol to enjoy myself.”

  He studied her full smiling mouth, and something inside of him shifted. Lust was one thing, he knew he could handle it, but the woman had actually made him curious for the first time in three years. Apart from the fire in his loins, she seemed to have invoked a smooth warmth emanating from the pit of his stomach to spread like liquid honey up through his chest gentling the wild beast inside of him.

  As the muscles in his cheeks almost spasmed into an involuntary smile, he took a step back, both in his mind and with his feet. He dropped her wrist, her flesh leaving his scorched, and took another step away while she stared at him in expectation of him continuing their conversation. He scrubbed his hands down the sides of his jeans to rub her touch from him.

  A flicker of puzzlement touched her face at his retreat. She lifted her chin, narrowed her eyes, and waited. He found he couldn’t respond. She’d wiped his brain clean…he wasn’t even sure what they had just said, and he believed if he opened his mouth, a load of garbage was going to spew forth.

  Panicked, he sucked in a deep breath, and fully aware of how rude he was about to be, turned abruptly and walked straight into the solid wall of his cousin Jack.

  “Hey, Flynn. You’ve come for the picnic?” A bear of a man, Jack wrapped his arm around Flynn’s shoulders and made him prisoner. If there was one guy he tried not to mess with since they all grew up, it was Sheriff Jack Swann. He opened his mouth to reply, to make his excuses so he could run, but he still couldn’t persuade any sound to emerge.

  Jack nodded and gave him a hard squeeze and a knowing look.

  “Great, I need your help with the trestle tables.”

  •●•

  “Interesting.” Kate tilted her head to one side to watch her husband engulf his cousin in a masculine hug and walk him away across their front lawn to the trestle tables stacked under the trees.

  “What do you mean?” Liberty smoothed back her hair with a hand she noticed had a slight tremble. Her system had just received the biggest shock she could ever remember.

  She’d thought the cowboy gorgeous when she’d had a limited view of him the previous night, almost too pretty. But now, up close and personal, with the thin white scars crisscrossing the left side of his face, making him look a little sinister and a lot exciting, he was even better-looking than she’d thought. More masculine somehow and appealingly wicked with his long, wild smile and flashing teeth as he’d bared them at her, defensive and challenging. Interest had flashed in his laser eyes, but what had confused her was his apparent fear. There was nothing to fear from her, but she could have sworn he was about to run.

  She dragged her attention back to Kate as her friend repeated what she had just said.

  “Your reaction to each other. You and cowboy Flynn.”

  Liberty slumped into a kitchen chair, knees weak, slapped a trembling hand to her chest, and puffed out a breath.

  “Oh my God, I’ve never seen a man as beautiful. How freaking gorgeous is he?” She raised her eyes to stare at Kate, who leaned with casual ease against the kitchen counter.

  “Well…”

  “His eyes, they’re so compelling, so direct. His hair, so…” She fluttered her hand “floppy and…well, it just makes you want to scrunch your fingers in it and…I guess maybe not you, you’re newly married, but ah.” She patted her chest above her heart and raised her fingers to her face to indicate the left side. “Do you know what happened to him?”

  Kate shrugged, turned to swipe up a mug of coffee, and took a sip.

  “Apparently he was some kind of Special Forces guy, it happened in the line of duty a few years ago. He came back at first, and then disappeared not long after. Turned up working for Cormack Blunt.”

  “The movie star?”

  “Yeah, he’s one of Jack’s cousins, so…”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No.” Kate gave a serene smile. “He’s very handsome, much nicer in real life.”

  “Yeah?”

  “He just got married, you might not have heard.”

  “I did. On the plane back I watched the TV gossip. He married his sweetheart from years ago, turned out she’d had his little boy and didn’t let him know.”

  “That’s the one.”

  “An English vet.”

  “Yeah. Anyway, I don’t know Flynn, really, he’s very quiet. Seems very self-conscious of his scars. I don’t think they’re as bad as he believes they are. He contacted Jack a week ago and asked if there was somewhere he could stay while Mac was off on honeymoon.” Kate finished off her coffee, placed the mug in the dishwasher, and reached for a bottle of white wine out of the refrigerator, dipped it at Liberty in inquiry, and at her nod reached for two wine glasses.

  “From what I understand, Fly
nn was Mac’s stunt coordinator and bodyguard.”

  She poured them both a glass of wine and handed one to Liberty.

  “A bodyguard. I’d let him guard my body any time.” Liberty wafted a hand in front of her flaming cheeks. “And as for stunts, I’d be willing to try a few with him.”

  Kate rolled her eyes and then cast a quick glance over to the baby monitor, which had started emitting loud gurgling noises.

  “I’d better see to Gemma.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Not in here, it’s all in hand. Lydia and Bill are bringing food over. The boys could probably do with some direction with the tables. There’s a pile of tablecloths there to put on, and the cutlery needs setting out.” Kate cast a quick eye around the food-laden kitchen surfaces and gave a satisfied nod and a wicked grin. “Maybe Flynn could do with a helping hand.” She twitched her eyebrows and stepped out the room.

  With a broad grin, Liberty took a small sip of her wine, seized a quiet moment to enjoy the cool slide of aromatic liquid down her throat, set the glass on the table, grabbed two bottles of beer, and made her way outside.

  “Beer anyone?”

  Flynn paused a moment before he straightened from leaning over one of the trestle tables to spare her a long, cool perusal. A small, pleasurable thrill jingled through her as she noted his vivid blue eyes had met hers before tracing the contours of her face. Most men’s eyes automatically dropped to her ample cleavage and made her feel like a sex object before they acknowledged her as a human. She gave him her biggest grin and noted the flicker of interest in his eyes, while the rest of his face remained impassive.

  She proffered the beer, giving the bottle a little inviting waggle. He took his time as though trying to decide whether to trust her offer or not, and just as he reached out, Jack walked boldly over and snaffled it out of her hand, giving her a swift kiss on the top of her head.

  “Life saver, Liberty.”