Ride-along (Bounty County Series Book 1)

by Maren Lee

  He stepped out of his truck and walked towards her. She did not look interested in being romanced, her arms wrapped around her body as if she were cold; that couldn't be it in this summer heatwave they were having. She intercepted him and said, “Come with me, I need to show you something.”

  They walked toward her car and he noticed she had a flat tire. Did she call him because she needed help with a flat tire? The thought that she needed him for anything made him swell with pride. “Darlin’, I’d be glad to help you with this. When you called I thought something had happened or you were rethinking your-”

  “Justin, stop talking.” She cut him off and pulled a note out of her pocket. She pointed to the flat tire and then handed the note to him, her hand shaking. He read the note and looked up at Chloe with concern. “Where did this come from, babe?”

  “I have no idea. I came out here to get my charger this afternoon and when I got closer to my car, I noticed this on my windshield. I thought about telling Sierra to get Brenden here, but I didn’t want to worry her.” Chloe looked defeated. And terrified.

  Justin couldn’t understand where something like this would have come from. People in Imminence weren’t like people in other parts of the country. There wasn’t a need for threats. If people had a problem, they handled it with their fists and were done with it.

  “Honey, do you have any enemies in this town? Did you piss someone off last night at the party?”

  “No! Everyone I met at the party was really great. I’ve never had any trouble with people in this town.”

  Her emphasis on the word ‘this” had him concerned.

  “Chloe, what do you mean you haven’t had any issues with people in this town? Were there issues in other towns?”

  The look on Chloe’s face was killing him inside. She looked scared and embarrassed. All he wanted to do was lean in and hold her, but he knew he couldn’t do that. She needed to tell him what was going on so that he could do his job and protect her. He was an officer of the law and he was going to act like one right now. She bit her lip.

  “You can tell me anything, Chloe,” he coaxed. That was all it took.

  Chloe spilled every detail about David Sullivan and what had happened in Duchesne. By the time she was finished, she had tears in her eyes. Justin reached out grabbed her hand and pulled her in close. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly, “Chlo’, I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. We do need to go to the office, though, so I can talk to Brenden and let him know what’s going on.”

  Chloe got a panicked look in her eyes, “Justin, what about Sierra and the kids? If I stay here, I'm putting them in danger. Should I just go back home? I should just head back home.”

  The thought of Chloe leaving made his heart ache. “No. You are not fucking going back home. It’s more dangerous there than here. You can stay with me if you’re so worried about Brenden, Sierra, and the kids.”

  “Justin, is that really a good idea? The last time we tried this, it didn’t go so well…” Chloe looked skeptical. He knew he needed to reassure her that this wasn’t for selfish reasons.

  “Chloe, last year was different. I didn’t know how to deal with the situation. I acted like a selfish prick and I’m sorry for that. Think of yourself in the witness protection program from here on out. I’m here to protect you. I’ll be your personal bodyguard. You'll be safe with me. I promise.”

  Chloe exhaled, then smirked at him and rolled her eyes, “Okay, Kevin Costner. I’ll let you protect me. But if this situation gets awkward or uncomfortable, I’m out.”

  Even in the face of danger, this woman cracked jokes. Justin liked that about her. Time to lock it down.

  “Fine by me, but let’s get one thing straight. When you are at my house you will be sleeping in my bed. I am going to be keeping an eye on you at all times. And I won't be professional about it. My hands will be all over you when the moment presents itself.”

  He looked her up and down. Yeah, it was going to be hard to keep his hands off her while he was at work. “Now, get your shit together. I’ll call for a tow and we can head to the office. Do you need to let Sierra know you’re headed out?”

  “No, she took the kids to swimming lessons. They won’t be back for another hour or so. I’ll text her and let her know that I’m getting my car towed to the shop and I’m headed in to town with you.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s get going. The sooner we get to the office and I talk to Brenden the sooner we can have the rest of the day to ourselves.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you're kinda bossy?”

  “Nope,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  “Well, you are.”

  “Get moving, sweet cheeks.”

  She shook her head and scoffed as she walked toward the house. He watched her hips sway as she walked away, her hair shining in the hot summer sun. God damn. The thought of Chloe snuggled up next to him in his truck, on the couch, and in his bed made his dick start to stir. Waiting for tonight was not going to be easy.

  ➰

  When they pulled up to the Bounty County Sheriff’s office, Justin led her to Brenden’s office. She sat down and repeated her story. She told Brenden everything that had happened back at home and what had happened this morning. Chloe was, understandably, worried about putting Sierra and the kids in danger. As much as Brenden wanted to be the one to protect Chloe, he agreed that Justin was the better, and safer, option for his family.

  Chloe would have preferred not to have told Sierra about everything, but Brenden felt it was best. He’d have Sierra get in touch with Chloe to figure out when and where they could meet up later this week to spend some time together. He was going to have Sierra and the kids go stay at his mom’s house for a few days just as a precaution. He didn’t want to worry about their safety when there was a potential stalker on the loose.

  “Thanks, Brenden. Sorry to bring this drama to your town.”

  “No apologies necessary, Chloe. This isn’t on you. This is on the creep who’s stalking you. We’ll get him. Don’t worry.” Brenden winked at her, putting her at ease.

  As Chloe got up and headed for the door, Brenden asked Justin to stay. Justin directed Chloe to his office just down the hall. As she was headed there, Justin poked his head out of Brenden’s office and shouted, “Don’t touch anything, please!”

  Chloe turned around, smiled, and flipped him off. Please. I’ll touch what I want. As she opened his office door the smell of his aftershave began to creep up her nose. It was pure yumminess, musky with a hint of mountain air. His office was kind of small and crammed with furniture and random shit. Awards he’d won won were mounted all over the walls. There were pictures of his family and Avery filling in the space between his certificates. On the desk and credenza there were what she assumed to be tools of the trade and some fancy machine thing that looked like it could have come out of a science lab. She fought the urge to touch it. She plopped in the chair, her feet barely touching the floor. Damn he was tall. Thoughts of straddling him while he sat in his office chair crossed her mind.

  Jesus, your stalker is on the loose in town and all you can think about is sex? Get yourself under control, Chloe.

  She continued to look around, surveying his office. An interesting case caught her eye. She opened it and pulled out a set of handcuffs. Smith and Wesson. Who knew they made handcuffs too? They looked just like they did in cop movies. Without thinking she slapped one of the cuffs on her left wrist. Not as easy as they make it seem in the movies! But she got it on and it was locked. Ha!

  Chloe picked up the case to grab the key to get herself out of the cuff. Her eyes widened and she whispered “Shit!” to the empty office. No key. She attempted to get the cuffs off, but to no avail. In the middle of her panic, she heard Justin’s voice. She could tell he was getting closer. Fuck! She stood up and quickly perched herself against the credenza behind his desk placing her arms behind her. This looks casual, right?

&nb
sp; Justin rounded the corner into the office and made eye contact with her. God damn this man was hot as sin. He smiled at her and said, “I’ve just got to gather a couple things here and then we can head out. Brenden says you can text Sierra as much as you want, but no details on your whereabouts until we have more information on the situation, okay?”

  Chloe nervously nodded her head and said, “mmmmhmmmm." Way to seem suspicious!

  Justin walked over to her and placed a kiss on her right cheek. “You okay, baby?”

  No.

  “Yeah, just anxious, that’s all.”

  “Well, let’s get to my place, get changed and head to the gym. We can work out some of that anxiousness before dinner. How do steaks sound?”

  “So great!” she squeaked. He raised his eyebrow at her suspiciously, but placed his strong hands on her shoulders and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. His lips were smooth and warm as he kissed her mouth softly. His hands began running down her shoulders to her biceps, softly over her elbows to her forearms. Oh God, this feels good. His hands connected with her wrists. Shit. No hiding that. He pulled his mouth away but kept his forehead touching hers. His body started to shake silently with laughter. Chloe cringed.

  "Did you cuff yourself?" he asked with a sparkle in his eye and a smile in his voice.

  “Justin, I’m so sorry. I know you said not to touch anything, but--”

  He interrupted her apology with a hard, sexy, lust filled kiss. “You make me laugh, woman. No worries. It’s hard not to touch all these badass gadgets. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Aren’t you going to unlock me first?” she asked sweetly.

  “Nope.” Justin’s answer was curt.

  “Are you serious?” she asked skeptically.

  “Yep.”

  “Justin.”

  “Babe.”

  “Oh my god, are you seriously serious?” She could not believe him!

  “I told you not to touch anything. This is your punishment,” his lips twitched.

  “Justin!” she screamed.

  Justin threw his head back and laughed. “What can I say? I like the idea of you in cuffs, baby. But I suppose we can’t go to the gym if I don’t take these off ya.”

  "Thank you," she murmured.

  He leaned in to her ear and whispered, “I am going to put them back on you eventually, though.” He sucked her earlobe into his mouth.

  Oh fuck, that’s so hot.

  He grabbed the key to the cuffs and proceeded to unhook the one locked around her wrist. He placed the cuffs back in case, threw the case in his backpack, gave her a wink, and kissed her forehead. “Let’s get outta here, babe,” he said, softly.

  Chloe’s breath hitched, ever so slightly. She was in for it. And she wanted every bit she could get from him. Even if he was kind of a dick.

  ➰

  Chloe couldn't hold still riding in Justin's patrol vehicle. Avery greeted her with licks and jumped around with excitement. That has to be good, right? Chloe didn’t trust a human that a dog didn’t like.

  The buttons, gadgets, and lights in the vehicle were distracting enough, but Justin was also sitting next to her looking as manly and authoritative as humanly possible. All she wanted to do was jump on his lap and get to riding. Stop it.

  “Darlin’, you’ve got to looking at me like that.” Justin said, just as Chloe licked her lips.

  Shit.

  “Like what? I’m not looking at you like anything,” she denied too quickly.

  “You’re looking at me like you want to eat me alive.” Okay, so that’s probably true.

  “I am not. Please.”

  “I only mind it because we have an actual rule in the department. ‘No booty on duty.’ Brenden implemented it to thwart Sierra’s advances. Don’t tell Sierra.”

  Oh, we’re gonna break that rule, Officer. Chloe’s mind wandered to all the ways they could break that rule. She clenched her thighs together.

  "Chloe?"

  Oh fuck, how long has he been talking?

  "What's up?" she replied casually.

  "Did you need anything from the store before we get to my place?"

  She cleared her throat. "No, I think I'm good."

  "We can drop your stuff off at my place, get changed, and head to the gym. I have plenty of guest passes."

  Chloe hadn't worked out for a couple of weeks. With how freaked out David had made her, she spent most nights at home. "Okay, that sounds good, I'll probably just do some cardio today." So I can zone out and imagine what your tongue will feel like between my thighs.

  As they pulled up to his place, Chloe got a nervous feeling in her stomach. Justin sensed her mood shift and he reached for her hand, "Come on darlin', let's get your stuff unloaded."

  Chloe smiled back at him, determined to be brave. "Let's do it."

  He walked her inside and showed her around his house. She’d had a tour of it and spent a little bit of time in it last year before things went downhill fast, so it was just a refresher course. He led her into his bedroom. “You’ve already seen this room, too,” Justin said. “We just never had a chance to use it the way I had hoped we would use it.”

  She looked at the large king sized bed. It was masculine. The head and foot boards were a rich, dark wood. The bed wasn’t made, but she couldn’t fault him for that. He had no idea she was going to be coming over today. And, honestly, who makes their bed every day? His sheets were dark blue. His comforter grey. It looked like a man’s bedroom. There was a faint scent of Axe body spray and laundry detergent. She wouldn’t mind laying down here for a minute or two. She stared at the bed whistfully.

  “Chloe.” She turned her head and looked at him. “Please stop staring at my bed like that.”

  “Sorry. It looks really comfy,” Chloe cleared her throat.

  “Maybe you can test your hypothesis later?” he teased.

  She smiled and shook her head. “Oh man,” she groaned. “Let’s get out of here before I jump your bones and embarrass myself any more than I already have!”

  She turned quickly with her duffel bag, walked out of his room, and then ducked into the bathroom to get ready. She looked around. Things felt different here now. More welcoming. The bathroom had been remodeled. Holy shit, the shower looked fuck-hot. She couldn't wait to get in it with him. That shower was begging for sex.

  She knew it was probably going to happen. The sparks were flying too hard and too fast. But after last summer, Chloe refused to make the first move. That was all going to be on Justin this time.

  After she got dressed in her workout gear, she decided to use her time wisely and rifle through his bathroom cabinets. Everyone does it, right? Fortunately, nothing shocking, though there was a full box of magnum condoms under the sink. Whoa. Big boy. She could tell the other night that she was working with something not quite average. It surprised her that she immediately felt a little jealous that he had shared his talent with other women of the world. But she felt a little bit better seeing that the box was unopened. She knew that Justin was not a saint and that this was likely a brand new box replacing another one that was completely used up, but she made her brain convince herself that the magnums were all for her.

  There was a quiet knock on the door. Justin. "Chlo', you ready?" I always feel ready around you, dammit.

  "Yep!" she replied quickly.

  She opened the door and stepped out into the living room. Oh fuck, he looks good.

  Justin stood there in his gray and white gym shorts with a tight white tank that showcased all of his muscles on his arms. All she could think about was sinking her teeth into his neck while he rubbed his hands all over her body.

  "How many times do I have to tell you to quit looking at me like that? Otherwise we aren't going to be getting our workout done at the gym."

  “You know...gyms aren’t really my thing. So we don’t have to go if you don’t want.” She looked up at him through her long eyelashes. The look he gave her said, absolutely, unequivocally, they ha
d to get out of the house right this second or he would spontaneously combust. Oh, alright, if we must.

  Justin grabbed his keys and opened the door for her, "Come on. I want to watch that sweet ass flexing while you work it. A little slow burn never hurt anyone, baby."

  It just might kill her. She was done. Resistance was futile.

  ➰

  Justin had no idea how long he would be able to control his arousal while he watched Chloe’s ass move in her skin tight lycra capris. Jesus, it would be so embarrassing to get hard at the gym. Her upper body was hugged in a bright pink racer back tank that showcased all of her curves. He had been eyeing her for the last 30 minutes in the gym mirrors thinking of all the ways he could bend her over the equipment in here. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one in here with those thoughts. It was driving him fucking crazy. Every gym rat that passed Chloe’s way shot approving glances at her, looking her up and down. Can you blame them? It hadn’t happened to him in a long time, but he felt the need to walk over and claim her with a long, wet kiss and a handful of ass. Mine. Mine? What the fuck, man? Slow down.