Smoking Hot

by Karen Kelley

  “I’m still pissed about last night. I hope you get blue balls and your dick rots off.”

  “Yeah, I knew you’d still be angry.”

  “You’ve got that right. When you start something, you’re

  supposed to finish it.”

  “You made your choice.”

  “And I won’t change my mind.”

  “Then you’ll never know what you’re missing.”

  Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Then I won’t miss it, will I?”

  “You will, because I’ve put the idea of being a submissive in your head. You probably dreamed about it last night. Did you dream about what I would do if I had you under my complete control?”

  Something close to a growl came from low in her throat.

  Rather than admit to anything, she gulped down the rest of her

  Smoking Hot

  coffee and set the cup on the floor with a resounding thunk. He

  was surprised she didn’t break the handle off. Rather than admit

  to anything, she asked, “How exactly do you plan to fix my life?”

  He drained his cup, then set it on the side table beside his

  chair. The sun squeezed the rest of the way above the horizon

  and a burst of color spread out in all directions. A rooster crowed, signaling the start of a new day.

  “You’re going to catch the bank robbers.” He crossed his legs

  at the ankles and sighed. It was a damn good plan. Putting the

  thieves behind bars would certainly clear her name.

  “That’s your plan?” she asked incredulously. “Well hell, why

  didn’t I think of that?” Sarcasm dripped from her words.

  He frowned. So maybe she had thought about it. The plan

  was a good one, though, and she couldn’t fault him for thinking

  that was the best way to clear her name.

  “And exactly how do you plan to go about catching the criminals when they’re probably long gone?”

  “I’ve been thinking,” he began.

  She crossed her arms in front of her and shifted slightly in her

  chair, giving him her full attention. One eyebrow rose.

  He wasn’t sure he liked her attitude. “I’m trying to help,”

  he said.

  “Okay. What’s your plan?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “You do have a plan, don’t you?”

  He had to quit winging this and come up with something

  concrete. Except he didn’t have a plan, only an idea. It was lame at best. She would know he hadn’t thought anything through.

  The way she sat there staring at him with that haughty look was

  as if she expected whatever he said to be a joke at best. People had no faith, Raine least of all. Not that he could blame her, and she didn’t look as though she was going to cut him any slack.

  “You heard them talking,” he began.

  “Yeah.” She didn’t look impressed.

  “We need to pick everything apart. Isn’t that what you do

  at a crime scene? Go over every detail to see if you might have

  missed something?”

  Her shoulders slumped as the fight suddenly drained from

  her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her not to worry.

  Tell her that everything would be okay and he would make it

  right, but he didn’t know for sure that would happen.

  She pushed with her toe again and set the rocker in motion.

  Her gaze moved to the horizon. “Don’t you think I’ve already

  done that? I’ve gone over everything in my mind a thousand

  times and still come up with nothing. I told Sheriff Barnes all I know and I still don’t have a solid clue. Now they say they found one of Grandpa’s handkerchiefs. His brand is embroidered in one corner. Also my notepad was near the vault.” Tears sparkled in her eyes before she quickly blinked away the moisture and

  squared her shoulders. She turned her attention back to him.

  “Your plan sucks.”

  “Thanks for the confidence.”

  “Do you screw up everyone’s life? Or were you just bored the

  day you decided to interfere in mine?”

  “I’m only half angel. I still make mistakes.” She really had an

  attitude problem.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot. You’re half man. That explains a lot.”

  “You didn’t seem to mind when we were making love.”

  She gripped the arms of the rocker, shifting in her seat. He

  knew she was remembering what they’d experienced. She opened

  her mouth, but no words came out. When she drew in a deep

  breath, his gaze lowered. Was she wearing a bra today?

  An ache began to build inside him. He’d never wanted a

  Smoking Hot

  woman as much as he wanted Raine. Even Lily hadn’t made him

  feel this almost overpowering need. He waited for the pain, the

  regret that always followed when he thought about Lily. It didn’t come. For the first time in a very long time, he felt at peace.

  He studied Raine as she stared off into the distance. If he

  failed her, would it destroy him? The thought shook him to his

  core. Everything inside him said run. Protect himself. Raine was

  Lily all over again.

  No, it wasn’t the same. There were no demons this time, and

  Raine was nothing like Lily. Raine was a fighter. She would never fall for the lies of a demon. There was a strength in Raine that Lily never had. Lily wanted everything handed to her on a silver platter. Raine was willing to work hard for what she wanted.

  Raine’s gaze suddenly met his. “What’s your plan?”

  He came to his feet, walking to the edge of the porch. “You

  had the right idea at the sheriff’s office,” he said. “Everything adds up. You were on duty the night of the robbery and the robbers knew it.”

  “But why would they try to kill me?”

  “I don’t think they did. You probably weren’t supposed to

  even show up. They planned to rob the bank, drop a handkerchief with your grandfather’s brand on it, and your notepad.”

  She shook her head. “But I might have dropped my notepad.”

  “Did you?”

  She shook her head again as she tried to remember. Finally,

  she reached up and massaged her temples. “I’m not sure about

  anything. And I don’t know why Grandpa’s handkerchief was

  there. That night is still a blur.”

  “The people investigating the robbery see your notepad near

  the vault, along with your grandfather’s handkerchief, and the

  fingers begin to point to the two most likely.”

  “How could they even think it was us? My father was the sheriff.

  He swore to protect and serve, and I’ve done the same thing.”

  “And the ranch is in trouble. A property that has been in the

  family since your grandfather was a young man. Without a cash

  flow, you might be forced to sell it.”

  She faced him, eyes blazing. “I’d never let that happen! This

  place means too much to Grandpa.”

  “My point exactly,” he said quietly. The more he thought

  about it, he was almost certain that was what happened. Raine

  and her grandfather were perfect to take the fall.

  “How do I find them?” she finally asked, but with the fire of

  determination in her eyes. Yeah, she was a fighter. Nothing would get her down very long.

  But this was where his plan became tricky. “I’m not sure.”

  Her eyebrow shot up again. “You’re half angel. Don’t you

  have a magic ball or something?”

  “Half is right. The other half makes mistakes like other men.

&n
bsp; I can’t see the future.”

  She stared at him, not saying a word. Damn it, she could be

  aggravating as hell at times. “I see glimpses,” he finally told her.

  “Or I feel as though something will happen. I’m not one hundred

  percent accurate.”

  “Ya think?”

  Raine went beyond aggravating. “Would you rather I leave?”

  Not that he would, but she didn’t know that for sure.

  The fight went out of her. “No. I don’t want Grandpa to suffer.”

  Guilt flooded him. He was supposed to be helping her, not

  sparring with her. “I’m sorry this turned out the way it did.”

  “I’ll fix it.” She didn’t look very confident, and the vulner—

  ability was back in her eyes.

  “We will fix it. You’re not in this alone.”

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  Her expression said she didn’t think he could pull it off.

  “Then don’t screw up again.” Her determination was back in full

  force. She reached down and picked up her coffee cup off the

  floor. “I think I’m going to need lots more coffee.”

  Chapter 13

  Raine scanned her list of suspects. Some of them bordered on the ridiculous, but Dillon insisted she write down everyone she knew or might have talked to in the days before the robbery and they would eliminate them one by one. She studied the names.

  This was crazy. Sheriff Barnes did not rob the bank. She flipped the pencil to the eraser side and pressed it against the paper.

  Before she could remove his name, Dillon pulled the pencil out of her hand.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Sheriff Barnes did not rob the bank.”

  “You know that for a fact?”

  “No, but my gut tells me he didn’t do it. My gut is very seldom wrong.”

  “But you didn’t say it was never wrong.” He tossed the pencil onto the table. “He’s a suspect until we eliminate him.” He flipped one of the dining room chairs around, then straddled the seat, resting his arms casually against the back. She couldn’t keep from staring at his biceps. The guy had some serious muscles. He made her whole body ache for his touch, to have him wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

  Dillon barely noticed her. And why should he, she argued.

  They were trying to catch the men who robbed the bank, not have hot sex. She clenched her legs together. But that was all she could think about.

  He suddenly came to his feet, as though he was the one feeling restless, and paced the floor. His forehead puckered. Then he strode back to the table and leaned over her. Her thought processing abilities came to a grinding halt when his warm breath tickled her neck. He leaned in a little closer to read the names on her paper. His scent filled her space. Sandalwood and sage, maybe? A hint of leather. She closed her eyes and inhaled. Yes, definitely leather. The aroma weaved its way around her, caressed with a light playful touch.

  “Raine?”

  His voice penetrated the fog of desire. She snapped out of it and met his gaze. “What? Did you say something?”

  Dillon picked up the paper and studied it. “Why not Sheriff Barnes?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

  She shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t do it. He’s a good man, not a criminal.”

  “But you put his name on the list.”

  She jumped to her feet, feeling a need to put space between them. “Because you told me to write down the names of people

  I was in contact with before the robbery. He’s my boss. It was inevitable that I speak to him before the robbery.”

  “Does he like his job?”

  “Of course he does.”

  “How well do you know him?”

  “Very well. He was lead deputy for my father, and before that, deputy. He’s been with the department since I was nine years old and he was twenty. Why would he rob a bank?”

  “What’s with all the posters on the walls of his office?”

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. “First the sheriff is a suspect and now you want to know about his office decor?”

  “Humor me.”

  “They’ve been up since he took office.” Not long after her father died, she dropped by the sheriff’s office to collect a box he’d found in the far corner of the closet. She’d called him by his first name back then— Glen. As soon as she stepped into the office and saw the changes Glen made, Raine knew she would never think of it as her father’s office. Glen had made the space his. He was the sheriff and due the respect that went with the office. That’s when she started calling him Sheriff Barnes.

  He balked at first, but she wouldn’t budge. He finally got used to it. She frowned. He’d told her she was stubborn. Dillon said the same thing. She pulled out a chair at the far end of the table rather than taking the one closer to Dillon. Was stubborn a nice way of saying she was a control freak? She dismissed that notion. She didn’t always need to be in charge.

  She glanced up. “He told me he was going to travel someday.

  He put up posters of places he wanted to go. What’s your point?”

  “That maybe with the money from the bank heist he can go sooner than he planned. Take early retirement.”

  No, it couldn’t be! But even as she told herself that Glen would never break the law, she had to wonder if he was getting tired of small-town life. For as long as she’d known him, all he ever wanted to be was an officer of the law. Her father was the same way.

  Except she’d heard her father grumble about the low pay and the lack of respect he got from some people. He threatened more than once to get into another line of work, anything that would pay more money. Raine’s mother had eagerly agreed, but after the first few times he mentioned changing his profession, then not following through, she knew he would never quit.

  Glen had once voiced the same complaint, but then he would start talking about a case he’d handled and his eyes would have the same sparkle that had been in her father’s. Glen wouldn’t leave. He loved his job too much, and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his career.

  “Scratch his name off,” she said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.” But she wasn’t. Not one hundred percent. She hated all the doubts Dillon created inside her.

  Dillon picked up the pencil and drew a line through Sheriff Barnes’s name. “Then let’s move on.”

  “Good.” But she knew she wouldn’t feel any kind of relief until the bank robbers were captured.

  He set the paper on the table in front of her, but it wasn’t the paper she looked at. Dillon was way too distracting.

  “What about Ethan? His name is on your list.” He raised his head.

  Dillon’s eyes were so blue, so vibrant. She could get lost in them if she wasn’t careful. They were mesmerizing.

  Mesmerizing? Dammit, he was doing it to her again. “I know what you’re up to,” she said, dragging her gaze back to the paper, but it didn’t really help. She still felt his nearness.

  “Up to?” He wore a confused expression. “I thought we were trying to catch the bank robbers.”

  Yeah, right. This was a maneuver she used all the time. The seductive scent, leaning in closer to look at something, warm breath tickling. Her poor victims never knew what hit them.

  Dillon was trying to seduce her. Losing was not in her vocabulary, even if he did have otherworldly powers. “You can’t fool me.”

  His eyebrows veed.

  “That cologne you’re wearing.” She would admit his tactics were pretty good. Not good enough, though. “You’re also mesmerizing me with your eyes. You would love to seduce me.

  To make me your submissive, but it isn’t going to work. I’m on to you.”

  “I’m not trying to seduce you,” he said. “When you said you weren’t into playing sex games, I took you at your word and backed off.”

  His smile was slow an
d sexy. She could feel herself begin to melt on the inside. Could she have misread the signals he sent?

  He looked truthful. It wouldn’t be the first time she was wrong about something. Sincerity practically oozed from his pores. He was an angel— at least half. Had she misread him? Her gut feeling wasn’t always right. Great. Now she questioned herself.

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t into sex games,” she finally muttered.

  “As long as we play by your rules.” His gaze dropped lower.

  Raine’s body responded to his heated look. She could almost feel him touching her, tweaking her nipples, flicking his finger across them right before he lowered his mouth. It took a moment for his words to sink in.

  She drew in a deep breath, pushing away from the table.

  “What’s wrong with my rules?” She put distance between them, walking to the window. She stared out at nothing in particular.

  A male redbird landed on one of the branches in the oak tree at the front of the house, looked around, then swooped down to the bird feeder. Grandpa always made sure there was wild bird seed in the feeder. She doled out fifteen dollars a month to feed the damn birds. He always asked if she had filled the feeder and she always did— for him. She couldn’t care less about the stupid birds. Most of the time they built their nests in the rain gutter, and she would have to drag out the ladder and move the nests to one of the trees.

  It was a pain in the butt.

  The redbird grabbed a black sunflower seed before swooping away. She wondered if he was taking it back to the female. The he-man. He would probably get laid for his efforts. Not a bad idea. She could feed Dillon, then maybe he would have sex with her. Only one problem with that idea— she was a terrible cook.

  Worse than Grandpa.

  “It wouldn’t be as bad as you think,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Why can’t we just have sex and leave it at that? Why does there have to be games? We would both have release, satisfaction.”

  He shook his head. “All or nothing.”

  She gritted her teeth. The man was stubborn! “Then nothing.” She hugged her waist, glaring at him. She could be just as stubborn.

  He shrugged as if to say that was fine, he would abide by her decision, and turned back to the paper she’d scribbled names on.