Damn! This was the last thing he needed.
Immediately, Callie could feel Quinn tense. She already knew what he was thinking. A woman had once come between them, and he was fearful it was happening again. In order to prove that she trusted him, she took his hand in hers.
“Uh, no, I actually didn't. Sorry, Belinda, but I’ve been busy,” said Quinn, praying Callie would understand, or that he would be able to explain this. “We need two black coffees to go, please.”
The woman checked out the competition. She’d been trying to bag the sexy sheriff for months, and she wasn’t willing to hand him over to this new woman so easily.
“Sure thing, Quinn. I can do that for you. Hey, really nice car. Maybe some time you can pick me up and give me a ride, then I can return the favor. I think we could have some entertaining times in the backseat.”
Callie didn't miss the cleavage shot the girl was giving Quinn. Oh, yeah, she was amused, but obviously he wasn’t. The sheriff looked mortified, and a blush was creeping up his neck.
Callie couldn’t help but think it was sexy.
“Sorry, Belinda, but I can’t do that. I’m permanently out of the dating pool,” he admitted, doing damage control as he leaned down to drop a kiss on Callie’s lips. Maybe the woman would take a hint.
God, he hoped so!
Belinda poured the coffee, all the while staring venomously at the other woman. “You’re new in town. I bet you’re working that new strip club they’re opening up,” she stated, checking out Callie’s snug jeans and tank top.
Oh shit.
This was going to be bad, really bad.
Quinn knew this may rank up there with Callie finding another woman in his lap.
She remained calm and planned her strategy.
Quinn vowed to never get coffee here again. Hell, if he made it out of this alive, he’d never drink it either. When Callie released his hand, his heart started to sink. His eyes met hers, and silently, he prayed that she would let him explain when they got outside.
“How much do we owe you?” she asked easily.
When the woman gave her the total, she proprietarily reached her hand into Quinn’s pocket and pulled out his cash. Peeling off a few bills, she took her time replacing the money, before dropping the rest on the counter.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, sugar, but Quinn is indeed taken. As for me stripping by profession, I’ll take that as a compliment. If it’s any of your business, I’m actually a doctor.”
Belinda laughed. “Yeah, right. You certainly don’t look like any I’ve seen before.”
Quinn swallowed.
Yeah, she’d heard that before.
“Then, you should get out a little more. If the only people you can identify are women who take their clothes off for a living, then you need new friends. Thanks for the evening’s entertainment, but let me offer this warning—you’ll want to lose Quinn’s phone number, since it’ll be me who answers that call.”
The woman glared angrily at Callie.
She didn't care. Instead, Callie grabbed her coffee and Quinn’s hand.
Immediately, dread washed over him.
Damn it!
He should have made the coffee at the office. If Callie laid into him, he wouldn’t be surprised. He couldn’t believe Belinda had insulted her and stirred up this mess once more. Opening the car door for her, he began praying. He raced around the driver’s side, trying to come up with anything to say.
“Callie,” he began, as he got in, “I can explain. She was a blind date.”
Her amused laughter filled the car. When she saw the way Quinn was staring at her, Callie giggled more.
“You’re not mad?”
“Quinn, how could I be?” she said, wiping her eyes.
He waited for the second shoe to drop. “She told you that you looked like a stripper.”
Callie laughed again. “Women are catty. A jealous coffee shop girl isn’t going to send me into a fit of rage.”
“I thought you were going to be mad.”
“When you dated her, did you tell her that you loved her?”
Quinn looked shocked. “Hell no! I didn’t love her and there wasn’t any sexual attraction either. I took her to the movies and that’s it.”
“Well, then, I have nothing to worry about, now do I?” she asked, leaning against him as she ran her hand down his body. To prove that she was still crazy about him, she brought his lips to hers.
Placing his hand on the back of her neck, he rode out the amazing storm. There was nothing like kissing his woman. When Quinn reluctantly pulled away, his eyes were hot with need. “For the record, I love your body dressed or naked, and you can play exotic dancer for me any day.”
“I might just take up stripping to increase the benefits for both of us then,” she stated
He hoped she did.
“I love you, Callie. Thank you for trusting me.” It meant the world to him. Slowly, he stopped fearing the past mistakes he’d made.
“I’ll always trust you, Quinton. You have nothing to worry about.”
There were times to get upset about a woman trying to poach your man, but this wasn’t one of them. Callie knew that there was no way that Quinn would ever cheat on her. She could feel it now, all the way to her bones.
What they had was real, and she would fight for it.
To the death.
* * *
Three Hours Later
Callie and Quinn sat in the conference room sorting through the receipts that the deputies didn’t have a chance to get through yet. There had to be over two thousand invoices, and it was tedious work.
“How are you doing?”
Callie snorted as she kept flipping through the papers. “Who would have thought there were so many bats sold in this town?”
“There are quite a few leagues,” said Quinn. “The sheriff’s department even has one.”
Callie was intrigued. “Do you play on it?” she asked, as her mind immediately started wandering toward a sweaty, sexy sheriff.
Quinn wasn’t sure if she would be pleased to know that he dedicated his spring months to playing ball three days a week. “Yeah, I do,” he answered, waiting for her reply.
“What’s the schedule like?” she asked, flipping to another receipt.
“We get together on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Is that going to be a problem for us?”
Callie knitted her brow, unsure why it would. “No, I just wanted to know the days, so I can clear my schedule. I want to be there to watch you play.”
That caught him off guard. It wasn’t what he was expecting at all.
“You’ll come watch?” He was genuinely surprised that she would give up her free time to sit there for a game. The entire idea made his heart pound in his chest. The idea of his girl in the bleachers cheering for him, made his whole libido go haywire.
Callie placed her hand over his. “Quinn, if it’s important to you, then I’ll be there to cheer you on. When you’re with someone, if they tell you that they have needs, or want to do something, you don’t question it. You just do it for them. It’s part of being a team or partnership. If you need me to be there, I’ll be there.”
He wanted to kiss her.
“Besides, a sexy, sweaty sheriff in shorts,” she laughed, getting him to smile. “Just don’t tell me you play without a shirt. It may drive me wild.”
“You’re absolutely my dream woman,” he stated, kissing her. “Mmmmm… you taste damn good, even at almost four in the morning.”
“I promise to cheer you on, especially when we get home to our bedroom.”
“Oh, baby. That sounds perfect to me,” he replied, indulging in her mouth again.
They both fell into the kiss, and didn't hear the door open.
“Oh hell! Am I going to have to see this every time I walk into a room?” asked Nate from the doorway.
Slowly, Callie set Quinn free. “Mmmm… probably,” she answered, happily. Then, she thought about
it. “On second thought, you’re most definitely going to see it.”
Nate sat at the table. “Great. It’s awesome watching my sister making out with a man. It brightens my day,” he stated sarcastically.
Callie didn't miss a beat. “You’re just jealous that you’re not getting any action.”
Luke burst into laughter. When his partner stared at him, he shrugged. “Well, she’s right. That last girl was a train wreck.”
“Zip it, Agent Mars.”
He did, but the twinkle never left his eyes. “Find anything?” asked Luke, opting to change the subject. When Callie handed him her coffee, he took a sip and joined them at the table.
“We’re still digging through the files, and my eyes are starting to cross,” said Callie, reaching for her purse to pull out her glasses.
“How did the mayor take it?”
“About as well as one could,” she answered. “He was alibied for the entire evening, until he went to sleep at ten thirty.”
“DNA should be coming in sometime today,” Nate said, glancing at his watch.
Quinn hoped so. “Yeah, hopefully that will give us something to work with. We’re running out of time and sins.”
Callie yawned, and then so did her sheriff.
“Why don’t you two crash in the office? We can’t do anything until the reports arrive, so we’ll go through the rest of these receipts to finish them off.”
Callie stretched and when Luke started laughing, she wasn’t getting it. “What?”
“Missing some important clothes?”
Callie snickered. “It’s a long story, and I’m sure my brother doesn’t want to hear about my lack of undergarments.”
“He might not, but I find it fascinating,” retorted Luke, earning a dirty look from Quinn.
“Come on, baby. My couch opens up to a bed,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Nate. “Will you two wake us up when the papers come through?”
Nate tried not to cringe. “Yeah.”
“Oh, and I assume you learned your lesson about barging in unannounced,” said Callie to her brother.
“Christ, get out of here!” ordered Nate, looking frazzled. “I certainly don’t need to be thinking about my sister getting naked with a room full of people outside.”
Quinn led Callie to his office and with one pull had the couch ready for them.
“I wish I had my toothbrush,” said Callie, wistfully.
Quinn dug into his desk drawer to pull out a two-pack and toothpaste. “I was a Boy Scout.”
“I guess you were.”
They headed to his private bathroom, and together brushed their teeth. When they were done, Callie couldn’t help but watch as Quinn began unbuttoning his shirt.
God, he was a fine specimen of man.
“Ready?” he asked, as he stood there in his boxers.
Hell yeah she was. Callie knew she’d enjoy going to bed with this man for the rest of her life. “Yes, but I can’t strip. I’m at a disadvantage.”
“That depends on your perspective,” he teased.
Callie kicked off her boots and slid onto the bed. “Sleep here much?”
“Nope. Only if we flood out, or get a freak storm.”
“Mmmm…” she murmured, moving into his body so her head was on his chest. “This is nice. It’s almost like camping.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Goodnight, Quinton,” she whispered, yawning. It didn't take long for her eyes to close.
Quinn kissed her on the healing wound on her forehead. “I love you, Callie,” he added, joining her.
“Forever, big guy?” she mumbled, and then fell asleep before he could answer.
That was the easiest question in the world.
What wouldn’t he give to own Callie’s heart forever?
* * *
Monday Morning
Someone was tapping him on the shoulder, pulling him out of one hell of a dream. As he tried to focus, Quinn found Nate staring down at him.
“The DNA results are in, and it’s what we suspected. It matched the reverend. We need to follow up with the fingerprints on the wrench too. It’s time to get rolling,” he said quietly, not to wake Callie.
“Okay, give me fifteen minutes to get ready. Lock the door on your way out. I don’t need deputies walking in to find me in my boxers.”
“Okay. Are you waking her up?”
“Yeah, she’s going with me. I don’t plan on leaving her behind,” he whispered. Callie shifted, sliding her hand down his already awake body.
“See you out there in fifteen minutes,” said Nate, locking the door behind him.
When Quinn touched Callie’s face, she shifted more, and he honestly believed that he was going to go crazy. “Baby, we need to get up,” said Quinn, kissing the tip of her nose.
Her eyes popped opened, completely clear of all signs of sleep. “I was already up,” she said, stroking him again. “And it seems so are you.”
Quinn couldn’t help it. “Well, you have that effect on me, but we don’t have time for fooling around this morning.”
Callie dropped kisses to his chest. “How long will it take you to get dressed?”
“Not long, why?”
Callie gave him an evil grin as she slid beneath the blankets.
“Callista! Holy shit!” he muttered, as her eager mouth swallowed him. Suddenly, his brain ceased functioning. Yeah, this was heaven.
His moans made her heart flutter in her chest. Callie didn't want to be rude and talk with her mouth full, so she pushed on, driving him wild.
As she worked him hard, the smile on his face said it all. He was a very lucky man.
Callie was fixing her hair when Quinn walked into his bathroom, buttoning his shirt. She couldn’t help but laugh. “See? There is plenty of time to wake up the right way,” she stated, turning toward him.
“That’s quite the mouth on you, baby,” he said, kissing her.
Callie ran her fingers across his body. “We better get moving.”
“Right behind you,” replied Quinn, running his hand through his hair.
When they walked into the conference room, Nate looked at his watch, “Glad to see you made it, and you’re early too. I see you showed some restraint.”
“I can honestly say that I didn’t put a hand, or mouth, on her this time,” he answered, walking to the coffee to pour them each a cup.
Callie laughed, earning a dirty look from her brother when he figured out what the sheriff meant. “What? It’s his control in question, not mine,” she pointed out, as Luke choked on his coffee. “So, what are we doing today?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.
Quinn interceded before it got ugly. “Nate and Luke are going to ‘Ed’s Body Shop’ to deal with that part of the case. He needs to come up with a valid alibi. You and I are heading to the reverend’s house to rattle his cage a little. I just find it odd that our main suspect is the head of a church, and we have crimes that are based in religion.”
“It’s way too much of a coincidence,” said Luke.
Quinn added, “We should hit both the suspects up and return here to regroup.”
Nate agreed. “Sounds good. Keep your eyes on Callie.”
Quinn didn't need to answer. He intended to do just that. “I don’t even need to bring coffee with me. I’ve had my jolt of Callie this morning,” he teased, when the other men were gone.
“I aim to please, Sheriff” she replied, tossing him his car keys.
Quinn followed Callie out, watching her hips sway. Oh, yeah, he definitely wanted forever.
It was time to make it happen.
They headed to the reverend’s house to start the process of sorting through the bullshit they knew he was going to be shoveling. There was no doubt that the man was going to do anything to save his own ass. He could deny all he wanted, but science didn't lie.
Once they arrived, Quinn knocked on the door and waited for someone to greet them. He wasn’t surprised to see Margaret
there, glaring at them.
“What?” she snapped.
“I need to speak to your husband, ma’am,” said Quinn, trying to be pleasant. It wasn’t going to be easy, that’s for sure. The woman was shooting ice daggers at both of them. Obviously, the reverend had worked on some damage control.
Yeah, let the games begin.
“I’m sorry but he’s busy and can’t be disturbed,” she replied, as she started closing the door.
“Okay, I’ll call my deputies and have someone come here to transport him to my office for processing,” said Quinn, loud enough for the neighbors to hear him.
“Shhhh…” she snapped. “We’re reputable people and don’t need you maligning us,” she said, flinging the door open. “This is nothing more than a witch hunt.”
“Then, let me speak to your husband, and I’ll be on my way.”
Margaret glanced at Callie, licking her lips nervously. “Anything I said to you is confidential, right?” she whispered.
“Yes, it is, but the sheriff and FBI have a warrant for my files. They now have access to everything that was said in session.”
The woman looked downright sick.
“Please, you can’t tell him anything I said. He’ll be very angry with me, and he has a temper.”
“Ma’am, I’ll avoid it for as long as possible, but if I have to use the information, I will. Now, can we see your husband?”
Margaret allowed them into her home. She led them to a comfortable living room and offered them a seat. “I’ll get the reverend.”
Waiting patiently, they both could hear the yelling going on across the house. Quinn was about to intervene, when the man entered the room, his face flushed with anger.
“What do you want now? Didn’t the mayor tell you to back off?”
Quinn wasn’t deterred. “Well, yes, sir, he did. Unfortunately for you, it seems that he’s had a change of heart. As of last night, his wife was found murdered,” he stated.
That caught him off guard.
“Oh God, No! I didn’t hear about it,” he replied in horror.
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