by Sophie Oak
He snorted. “I’d like to see them try. Who are they going to elect? Logan? That boy can’t get his head out of a comic book long enough to put his name on the ballot.”
“Well, Nell said she might run.” It was just what Bliss needed, a pacifist sheriff.
Nate threw his head back and laughed. It was the first genuine laugh she’d heard out of him since he’d walked into town. It lit his face and made her wonder what happened to the sweet, funny man who’d taken her virginity with such care.
“Losing an election to Nell would be like losing to a Disney princess. I swear, I expect small woodland creatures to follow that one around. And she wouldn’t wear the uniform.”
Callie smiled. The idea was funny. “She wouldn’t. Polyester isn’t natural, and the shoes don’t fit with the vegan lifestyle. But, seriously, Nate, if you don’t watch it, they could run a rubber duck against you and that duck would win.”
Nate turned up the long drive, the car tilting back as the four wheel drive took over. “Good luck with the duck, then, baby.” He stopped as though startled he’d used the term of endearment. “Sorry. I’ll try to do the job to the best of my ability. I just don’t think a lot of the people around here will appreciate it.”
They were quiet the rest of the drive. Callie forced herself to turn away from the sheriff. He was too lovely, too remote. What had happened to him? She wondered which one was the real Nate Wright. The playful, sweet lover she’d known years ago, or the hard, distant lawman she’d had in her life for the past two weeks. She’d asked Stefan, and all she could get out of him was that Nate had worked with the federal government and wanted a quieter job. You didn’t get much quieter on the law enforcement front than Bliss. Of course, there were other things to consider.
“I got proof now.” Mel was jogging down from his one-bedroom cabin, his eyes darting around, trying not to miss a thing. He held a shotgun in his hand.
Nate’s hand was immediately on the Colt in his hip holster as he got out of the Bronco and faced Mel. “You set that down now.”
Mel stopped in his tracks. He was a tall, angular man. Deep into his fifties, Mel still had a strange innocence about him even as he held a shotgun. “Set what down?”
“The gun that you better not point this direction.”
Callie glared his way. “You’re going to get someone shot one of these days. And no, I’m not talking about Mel.” She walked up the trail and placed herself solidly between Mel and the sheriff.
“Goddamn it, Callie Sheppard, you get your ass back here. That man has a gun.” Nate’s bark cut through the peaceful afternoon with all the grace of a hacksaw. His face was red, and every muscle was at angry attention.
Callie sighed. Rye had been right to ask her to stay on. He’d just been wrong about the timing. Nate hadn’t integrated in two weeks, and she was beginning to doubt he would ever feel comfortable. “Everyone has a gun here, Nate. Except Nell and Henry.”
“I told them they should, but they insist that the aliens are peaceful,” Mel said, looking over her shoulder. “I promised to protect them when the invasion starts. I think I found a camp for the first wave. It’s up here, Callie.” He stared back at Nate and lowered his voice. “I don’t trust that one. I think he might be one of them, Callie. Why did Rye have to quit?”
Because Rye wanted to be home doing what he loved. She didn’t blame him, but sometimes she wished he hadn’t quit, either. It left her in the unenviable position of protecting the town from the sheriff and vice versa. She turned back to Mel, who was fully dressed for war in his fatigues. It was always best to take Mel as seriously as possible. It settled his mind if he thought someone was working on the problem. “Why don’t you show me this encampment?”
Nate was frowning fiercely as Callie turned and started to follow Mel. His long legs ate up the distance between them, and his hand was on her arm before she knew what was happening.
He spun her around on the small dirt trail. She had to put a hand on his chest to steady herself.
He growled at her as fierce as any bear in the mountains. “You ever do that again, and I swear I’ll put you over my knee and spank you. And I won’t care who’s looking.”
Callie could see it. She would be naked, the air cool on her cheeks. His cock would be rock hard and pressed against her belly. He would take his time because the anticipation was part of the tease. And then, his hand would make contact. She would squeal a little, and when he was done with the spanking part, he would turn her around and she would suck that big cock of his.
“What the hell are you thinking?”
Callie grinned as they walked behind Mel. Nate’s face was flushed as though he could tell what was going through her brain. When she glanced down, she realized at least one part of her fantasy had come true. The sheriff of Bliss sported an enormous erection in those khaki pants of his.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” She wasn’t about to tell him what she’d been thinking.
Nate swore behind her but followed anyway.
Chapter Five
Nate trudged down the path following in Callie’s wake. His temper was on edge. She was going to be the absolute death of him. He’d nearly had a heart attack when she put herself between him and that crazy with a shotgun. Did she think for a single second what could happen? That gun could have gone off at any minute. He had a sudden vision of Callie’s chest blooming with blood just like…
He wasn’t going to think about that. He also wasn’t going to think about the way Callie’s face had gone a little dreamy when he mentioned spanking that ass of hers. If, and it was a mighty big if, he ever got to date Callie Sheppard, he was going to treat her like a lady. He wasn’t going down that dark path. It had already cost him years of his life and had almost killed Zane. He wasn’t that man he’d become while working undercover.
Hell. He wasn’t sure who he was anymore.
“It’s right up here, Callie.” Crazy Mel was pointing to a spot just past a cluster of aspens. The locals called them quakies because of the way the slender trees shook in the wind. They were all over the property he’d bought. He’d gone home yesterday to find Zane sitting among them, staring at the sky over head. Zane didn’t talk much anymore. He seemed content to run around the woods, watch ESPN, and drink the occasional beer at the dive bar the next town over.
Callie started to stumble over a rock. Nate grabbed her waist and balanced her. She shouldn’t be running around the woods in little leopard print heels. Her big brown eyes locked onto his, and he had to look away.
“Thanks,” she said. She pulled away and straightened her skirt. With a brisk nod of her head, she pushed through some bushes and followed Mel.
“It looks like a campsite.”
Nate heard Callie’s calm voice as he slapped the brush away and joined them in the little circle of trees and shrubbery. He shoved aside all the emotional crap that was threatening to take over his brain and went into cop mode. Every instinct in his body was on high alert. It wasn’t aliens, but Mel had found something.
“There’s plenty of legitimate campsites in the area. There are national parks all over southern Colorado.” Callie walked slowly around the small clearing. The ground was hard, and it hadn’t rained in days, so there was very little chance of good tracks. Still, Nate would guess there were at least three people who had spent the night in this space, maybe more. The grass was dented in body-like outlines in several places. They hadn’t started a fire, but they left small clues that non-woodland creatures had visited.
The grass was disturbed, and the shrubs had broken branches. Nate quickly counted several cigarette stubs. It looked like this group rolled their own, and judging from the slight smell coming off one, it wasn’t just tobacco they were smoking.
“I’m getting nothing, Mel.” Callie was pointing the Detector 4000 at the campsite. The little device was humming, and a green light was blinking.
Mel scratched his head. “Really? You think it was just teens?”
“Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. I should have guessed. Aliens are real health conscious, if you know what I mean.”
Nate knelt down and used a pen to sort through the pile of butts. A few had little red marks. Lipstick. He was doing a mental count when a smell hit him. His hands froze, and he turned to the left. That was where he saw it. On the ground before him, there were little drops of black in the dirt, a pool of iridescent darkness. Motor oil.
He went cold at the sight.
“Mel, you heard anything that sounds like a bunch of motorcycles?” He kept his voice even and calm when what he wanted to do was scream.
“Oh, sure, there was a bunch of them a couple days back.” Mel gestured toward the road. “They came through wearing all that crap they wear. Why do they wear so much leather? I would think it would get hot.”
They wore leather because it protected the skin better than anything else. They wore leather because it looked cool, and looking badass was very necessary when running with the “one percenters.” Nate knew that if a biker looked weak, he didn’t last long with The Barbarians. He had the scars and the tats to prove it.
“You get a look at their vests, Mel?” Outlaw bikers wore three-piece patches on their vests. It identified the gang they were with. Nate would know. He’d worn the Barbarian MC patch for almost four years. God help him if they had caught up to him. And God help Zane.
“I didn’t right notice, Sheriff. You see, I’m all about aliens, and these fellows were obviously human. They certainly smelled human, if you know what I mean. Those boys could use a bath.” Mel looked around. “Well, I guess I can get back to working on the bunker then. I was worried I might not have enough time.”
Nate stood, utterly frustrated. “Is there anything else you remember? How many of them were there? What kind of bikes they were riding? Did they have women with them?”
“Wow, that’s a lot of questions, Sheriff.” Mel seemed to consider the queries for a moment. “Now, as I remember it, there were a bunch of them, but not too many. They had a couple of women, but they were real tough looking. As for what they rode, well, they rode motorcycles. It was real loud, too. Hey, Callie, you think the loud motorcycles might have scared off the aliens?”
Callie opened her mouth to say something, but Nate had had enough.
“There are no aliens,” he gritted out the words as he yanked the Detector 4000 out of Callie’s hands. “This is a video game remote. They’ve been placating you for years, but I won’t do it. There’s too much serious shit going on to spend my afternoon traipsing through the woods to make you feel better.”
Mel frowned. “Well, I ain’t feeling better now.” Mel leaned over and talked behind his hand. “I think they got to the sheriff, Callie.”
“Something got to the sheriff.” Callie was shooting daggers his way.
Nate wasn’t taking it. He kicked at the dirt with his boot. What the hell was he doing? He was standing around with a kook when he should be…damn it. What was he going to do? Even if he could find the bikers who had spent the night here, he could write them a ticket, but that was about all. He wouldn’t be able to arrest them. If the Barbarians had come to Bliss, they would be careful to hide. They would be careful not to do anything that would put them at a disadvantage until they were ready to strike.
“Sheriff?” Callie looked at him, her mouth a little surprised O. “Are you okay?”
Mel was shaking his head. “This is what they do, Cal. They probably probed him. He’ll have trouble going to the bathroom for a couple of days.”
“Damn it, there are no aliens.” Nate took a firm stance. “And don’t call the station again. The next time one of us gets called out here under false pretenses, I’m going to fine your ass. You understand? You call in again, and I’ll write you a big ticket.”
Mel took a step back. Nate could see the fine tremble in his hands. “That’s the next sign. The aliens will come after our currency. I knew it would happen.”
Nate tossed the Detector to the ground and walked out of the clearing. He could hear Callie talking to Mel, soothing him with that soft voice of hers.
He could use some soothing. Callie smoothed things over for everyone. He couldn’t miss the way everyone in this crazy-ass town came to Callie Sheppard when they needed something. She spent most of her time building her friends up or talking them out of doing silly things. But did she have time for Nathan Wright? Hell, no. She would spend hours making sure that Mel felt secure, but could she spare a minute for her boss? Had she ever brought him cupcakes? She did it for Logan. Had she ever asked him out to lunch? Hell, no.
Nate was aware he was barreling through the woods with all the grace of a bear on a rampage. He hadn’t exactly invited friendly gestures from his secretary, but that didn’t matter now. He was fully in “woe is me” mode, and he didn’t really want to come out of it. It felt good. He’d spent so much time worrying about Zane that feeling bad for himself was freeing.
“Hey!”
He stopped in the middle of the path, aware of the thrill that went through him. Callie was yelling at him. Her voice was filled with fire and begging for a fight. Damn if he didn’t want to give her one. Nate whirled on her and was perfectly satisfied when she stopped in her tracks.
Callie stood stock still for a moment. He saw her take a deep breath before she got brave on him. “What the hell was that about, Nate? Do you really have to act like such a…a…jerk?”
He loved that little hitch in her voice. She was so proper. “What’s wrong, baby? You can’t cuss? Say what you mean.” He invaded her space. He knew he was on the edge, but he couldn’t quite pull himself back. Those years were weighing heavily on him. The very smell of motor oil had brought back too many bad memories.
“I choose to keep my language free of dirty words. And you were a jerk.” She held her ground. He was counting on that.
He towered over her. “I was an asshole, baby. I was a motherfucker. I was a dick. I was all of those things. I was also right. Things are gonna change around here.”
Her jaw set in a stubborn pout. “Oh, really? The great Nathan Wright is going to come in and teach all of us yokels how the world works?”
“Damn straight.” Somebody needed to. As far as he could tell, no one in this town ever bothered to take their head out of their ass. They were all worried about their art or hurting someone’s feelings. He’d heard an awful lot about karma since he started walking the streets of Bliss. And no one made him feel more like a dumbass than Callie Sheppard. She’d spent her time lecturing him on how Bliss worked. He wasn’t supposed to give tickets to Henry and Nell for not having the proper permits when they stopped traffic on Fridays with their silly mime project. He wasn’t allowed to arrest the nudists. He wasn’t supposed to “display a threatening presence,” and she’d told him to smile more. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She was trying to reduce his job to some sort of happy, glad-handing politician, and that wasn’t going to happen. “I’m going to force this backward ass town to realize that it isn’t in a bubble. Bad shit happens, darlin’, and you can’t fight it with a poem or a goddamn piece of pottery. You sure aren’t going to keep this place safe by holding hands and singing ‘Kumbayah.’”
She raised her stubborn little chin up. “Maybe we don’t like the so-called outside world. Maybe we choose to behave in a fashion that all you realists look down on, but don’t think for a second that these people can’t handle themselves. And don’t think they haven’t faced hardships of their own.”
“Yeah, a lot of hardship here. I can see that plainly. What’s the worst thing that happened here lately? Stella run out of coffee?”
She pushed against his chest. “You’re hopeless. Just take me back to the station. I’m going home.”
She was so close he could smell her. He could smell the soap she’d used and the shampoo on her hair. Her small hand was on his chest, the heat of her body righteously close t
o his skin. Her upturned face was just inches away, and suddenly Nate couldn’t stand it. He growled as every instinct in his body led him. His hands clamped on her hips, dragging her to him. He saw the surprise on her face just before he descended, taking advantage of her slightly open mouth. He slammed his mouth down on hers, forcing his way inside. She struggled for the barest of moments before she flowered beneath him. Her arms wound their way up and around his neck.
Callie was short. Nate solved the problem by dragging her up against his body and supporting her with his hands on that curvy ass he’d dreamed of. He was rock hard in an instant and ground himself against her pussy, resentful of his pants and her skirt. She was a sweet weight in his arms. Nate was aware of his heart pounding in his chest, his cock full of blood. He needed her. God, he needed her more than he could ever remember needing anything before.
He started walking, moving toward the large pine tree behind them. That would do.
“Oh, Nate,” she moaned his name as he dragged his mouth from her lips across her cheek and jaw, settling into the soft valley of neck. She didn’t complain as he planted her back against the tree. Her legs came around to circle his hips. Fuck, she felt good.
Anchored against the trunk of the tree by his body weight, Callie clung to him. She let her head fall back, giving him the flesh he sought. He pushed up the denim of her skirt. Every inch of skin he captured felt like a victory. He pumped his hips against her pussy, unable to wait until he freed his cock to play with her. He was going to brand her. When he was done, Callie Sheppard would know who she belonged to. His hands were on the buckle of his belt when he realized Callie was fighting him.
“Stop.” She was pleading, tears running down her face. Her legs were on the ground again, and she pushed at his chest.
Nate stepped away from her like she was on fire. It took everything he had to stay on his feet. What had just happened? Had he dreamed she was responding?
“I’m sorry,” she said through her tears. “I just can’t. I know I was…I know I led you on, Nate, but you don’t even like me. I can’t sleep with someone who doesn’t even like me.” The words came out in little hitches.
