To Protect the Heart of a Brazen Woman [Brazen Sisters 6] (Siren Publishing Classic)
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Brazen Sisters 6
To Protect the Heart of a Brazen Woman
Sheriff Jake Gurion has been fighting his attraction to Bobbie Brazen since she started teasing him six years ago. She’s young and beautiful and way too tempting, so he’s careful not to spend too much time alone with her.
Now, a criminal Jake put away has escaped. No one knows where she is, but she’s left messages saying Jake would pay, starting with his pretty little plaything. He’s not about to let anyone he loves get hurt, including Bobbie. Now he can’t avoid being alone with Bobbie any more than he can stop breathing.
Bobbie’s furious that Jake had used her age as a reason for them not to get involved for years, but while she was out of town he dated a woman only two years older than her. He expects her to just go hide away with him alone until the madwoman making threats is caught. Bobbie plans to use this time to teach him a few lessons.
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 59,090 words
TO PROTECT THE HEART OF A BRAZEN WOMAN
Brazen Sisters 6
Rita Sawyer
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
TO PROTECT THE HEART OF A BRAZEN WOMAN
Copyright © 2012 by Rita Sawyer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-569-4
First E-book Publication: October 2012
Cover design by Christine Kirchoff
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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DEDICATION
To everyone who has stuck with the Brazens through their ups and downs. I hope you have enjoyed meeting them all as much as I have loved introducing them to you.
TO PROTECT THE HEART OF A BRAZEN WOMAN
Brazen Sisters 6
RITA SAWYER
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Bobbie eased her foot off the gas pedal and glanced at the needle on the console. Once it hit fifty-five, she gently laid her foot back down. It wasn’t her fault she kept speeding. She was just so happy to be going home that she had to keep reminding herself to keep her car at the speed limit, but the closer she got to town, the harder it got. Thanks to open roads, her lead foot, and no construction, she was already running a bit ahead of schedule. Her six weeks of banishment under the guise of an internship/vacation was finally over. She wouldn’t complain, since she’d had fun and learned a lot, but she knew there’d been so much she missed over the summer. At least she’d be home in time for the first night of the bowling league her and her sisters were members of. And she had three weeks before her classes started in September.
She slowed her new Jeep, which was going to be a big surprise to everyone, as she drove through town, giving her time to look around. Not much had changed except the color of the leaves on the trees lining most of Main Street. They had been lush and green when she left, but now they were starting to turn robust shades of red, yellow, and orange. Bobbie told herself she wasn’t looking for Jake as she scanned the sidewalks, but it was a lie. She wanted to see him, and if she wasn’t supposed to be at the bowling alley in a half an hour, she might have stopped in at the station just to say hi.
Obviously—even though her sisters had tried to teach her well—when it came to Jake, playing hard to get was out of the question. She’d taken her sisters’ advice and used her time away to rethink her situation with Jake. Hopefully, her absence had forced Jake to do the same thing. She hoped he’d finally come to terms with his feelings for her.
Bobbie pulled into the parking lot and drove up and down the aisles looking for an empty spot. Shit! It seemed like everyone was already here. A quick glance at the clock on her radio assured her it was a few minutes before seven. She found an empty slot and pulled in. When she was almost halfway across the parking lot, her cell phone went off. Bobbie tugged it out of her pocket and saw her friend Julie’s number on the display.
She stopped and hit the green Connect button. “Hi, Julie.”
“Hey. Are you home yet?”
“I just got here. When are you coming in?” Bobbie wanted to get together for lunch to discuss their summers and class schedules.
“I’ll hit town early Friday morning.”
She noticed Julie sounded a little off. Bobbie hoped it was nothing serious. “Are you okay?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Bobbie’s interest was piqued by her comment. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well…I talked to Carla today and she mentioned that Jake was seeing someone. And unless something happened while you were away, I know you have a thing for him and just wanted to make sure you were all right.” She knew the concern she heard in Julie’s tone was sincere.
But Carla had to be wrong. If Jake was seeing someone, one of her sisters would have told her. Rumors were always being spread around about Jake and the women who wanted him. Bobbie had thought some of the women started them themselves to get his a
ttention. This had to be another one. And Carla would have wanted it to reach her as soon as possible. Bobbie wasn’t sure what she ever did to make Carla not like her, but truthfully, the feeling was mutual.
“Sorry to crush your hopes, but the only thing that happened this summer on my end was work.”
“Too bad.” Julie’s laugh vibrated the phone. “But I’m glad things are okay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She brushed off Julie’s worries. “Actually, I’m about to go bowling with my sisters. Call me when you get in and we’ll go for lunch.”
“Sounds good,” Julie said.
Bobbie ended the call and tucked the phone into her pocket as she started toward the building. Maybe Jake really had started seeing someone while she was gone. It was one of the risks of her leaving. The whole “out of sight, out of mind” concept against the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” ideal came into play. Bobbie had no way of knowing which way Jake’s heart would fall. She was hoping for the latter.
She opened the door and stepped inside as a loud chorus of “Surprise!” filled the air. Shocked, Bobbie jumped back into a hard body. Hands landed on her shoulders and instantly she knew who was behind her. She spun around and looked up into familiar hazel eyes. He smiled and her heart leapt. She swore she felt it bang against her rib cage.
Jake was the only guy who had that affect on her. She hoped his smile meant he’d missed her. Bobbie noted the bags under his eyes and the fact his hair, which he normally kept short, was in need of a good trim. The straggly stubble on his cheeks and chin looked rugged and gave him an air of danger, but when she put it all together she got the feeling he hadn’t been taking care of himself.
She was about to ask him what was going on when he said, “Welcome home.”
He looked at her lips and started to dip his head. Bobbie thought he was going to finally kiss her in front of everyone, but at the last minute, he tilted his head and kissed her cheek. She should have known better than to get her hopes up. Before she could even say hello back, her sisters surrounded her and dragged her off.
As she made her way around, greeting and thanking everyone who had come to welcome her home, her gaze was drawn back to Jake over and over. The half dozen times he caught her he winked and smiled, yet he kept his distance. Her sisters, however, for some reason—which she hoped was just because they missed her—had decided that one of them would always be by her side. Not that she minded, but she did wonder why. After about forty-five minutes, she realized they also seemed intent on keeping her and Jake apart. That did bother her.
She looked over to the snack bar where her sisters, Samantha, Jessie, and Frankie, were standing. Though the counter was laden with food, none of them were eating. Bobbie followed Frankie’s gaze across the room to where Jake and his brother, Beau, stood talking with Georgie’s fiancé, Tyler. It was clear from her turned-down lips and her narrowed eyes Jake had done something to piss her off.
Since it was obvious that none of her sisters were going to tell her what was going on, she’d have to find out for herself. All she had to do was get Jake alone and ask him. Waiting wasn’t one of her strong suits, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long. She watched him walk toward the men’s room. Once he was inside, she crossed the room and leaned against the wall next to the door.
Bobbie looked around for a quiet place where they could talk without being interrupted. She spotted a storage closet a few feet away across from the lounge. Knowing there wasn’t much time, she hustled over and checked the knob. It turned freely in her hand and then opened with ease. She glanced back over her shoulder before she peeked inside. There were shelves lining the walls stuffed with all kinds of cleaning and other supplies. It would be a tight fit, but it would work. She resumed her spot against the wall and waited.
A minute or two later, Jake came out. Without a word, she grabbed a fistful of his T-shirt and yanked him down the hall and shoved him into the closet. She stepped in and closed the door behind her. He didn’t fight her, but she had no idea if that was a good or bad thing. Jake crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned back against one of the shelves.
Being this close to him after not seeing him for so long, Bobbie almost forgot why she had him there. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”
“How should I know? You’re the one who dragged me in here.” Bobbie was familiar with edge in his tone and the stiff shrug of his shoulders.
Jake was spoiling for a fight, and if that was what he wanted she’d be happy to give it to him. “My sisters are taking turns staring daggers at you. I want to know what’s going on with you and them.”
“Did you ask them?” His cocky smirk told her he knew something she didn’t.
“We both know where that would get me. So I came to you.”
“Unlike before you left town. Thanks for stopping in to say good-bye, or even letting me know you were leaving.” She heard the anger in his voice, but there was pain there, too.
He had no reason to be irritated with her. Okay, maybe he did. She should have at least said good-bye, but in her defense, at the time she’d been afraid she’d change her mind if she did.
“What difference would it have made?” Please tell me you would have put up some kind of fight to keep me here, she thought.
He swallowed a few times, and she thought he might finally confess the way he felt, but instead he looked away and said, “None, I guess.”
Her sigh filled the air, but he still didn’t look at her. “Right, so back to the problem at hand. What did you do to piss them off?”
He shook his head and pushed off the wall. “There is nothing going on between me and any of your sisters. I think you just wanted to be alone with me.”
Oh, he was really pushing her, and he knew she would push back. Bobbie closed the small distance until her breasts were touching his arms. He dropped them to his sides. She smiled up at him as she put her hands on his chest. His heart beat a steady pace under her palms, but is seemed to pick up speed.
“I always want to be alone with you. You’re the one who does everything he can to make sure we’re never alone. We both know why.” She slowly slid her hands up to his shoulders, bringing her body flush against every hard inch of him, and he was hard.
He groaned, but his hands landed on her hips. “Bobbie, please.”
“Please what? Sorry, but you’re going to have to tell me what you want, because I can’t read your mind. Though, if I could I bet we’d be thinking the same thing.” She pushed up onto her toes and brushed her lips across his.
Jake groaned and his fingers tightened on her hips.
“Do you want me to stop?” She pressed her lips to his again a little harder and lingered longer. “Or is there something else you’d like me to do?”
He started to open his mouth to answer, and Bobbie covered it with hers. She wasn’t letting him off the hook this time. She’d gone long enough without feeling his touch. He tilted his head and took control of the kiss. She felt his tongue slide along her bottom lip and parted them wider to let him in. Their tongues touched and teased. He tasted so good.
His hands slid to her ass and pulled her harder against the ridge his cock made behind his zipper. She rocked, squirmed, wanting to get closer yet unable. Her body was on fire with need, and he was the only thing that could satisfy her craving.
Suddenly, Jake pulled away and put as much space between them as possible. She was so lost in the moment that it took her a few moments to get her bearings. They were both breathing hard, and Jake stood there with his eyes closed.
“You should get back to the party before someone realizes you’re missing.” The rough timbre of his voice didn’t help cool her down any.
“Are you ever going to do more than kiss me?” She knew he wanted to. Hell, he’d come damn close a time or two.
“This isn’t the time or place to discuss it. If you don’t leave I will.”
“Right, get away
from the temptation before you do something you’ll regret. So go.” She waved her hand at the door and he fled.
Bobbie couldn’t hold back the tears. She was just glad no one was there to see them. Crying may have felt good, but she figured her face must be a mess. She’d have to straighten up before returning to the party. A quick peek out the door told her the hall was clear. She dashed from the closet to the ladies’ room, hoping for a few minutes alone in front of the mirror.
The room was empty, which was lucky for her. She leaned over the sink and splashed cold water onto her puffy eyes. After dabbing her face with a couple of paper towels, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. With her red-rimmed, slightly puffy eyes there would be no denying that she’d been crying. The signs were all there. She heard the door open behind her and ducked her head.
“I found her,” her sister, Georgie, called out.
One by one, all five of her sisters filed into the room. Bobbie knew she was screwed. She knew they weren’t going to let her out of the room without an explanation. They were already angry with Jake, so learning he’d made her cry would just make it worse. And if she told them why she’d been crying they were going to go ballistic.
“Have you been in here the whole time we were looking for you?” Jessie asked as the door closed.
Bobbie shrugged her shoulders, to which Joey said, “Everyone’s been asking where you got off to.”
“Well, here I am.” There was the tiniest tremor in her voice and she hoped they missed it.
“What’s wrong?” Frankie crushed her hopes.