Tortoise Tango

by Mary Wine

  “I bet they don’t have killer bees in Idaho.”

  Chapter Six

  “Forget it.”

  Joe curled his lips back to flash her his teeth instead. His arms were crossed over his chest as he peered at her with those jet-black eyes. His feet were shoulder span apart but he had to look down to see her.

  “I mean it, I will go to a motel.”

  “They’re all full for a hundred miles around. I checked. Told you your house wasn’t the only house Ruth demolished around here.”

  Her Little Red temper was simmering. Joe almost laughed out loud. He was getting kind of attached to her extremes in mood. Some of them were downright addictive. Sucking on those sweet coral nipples made her blood boil. His too, when she was nude and begging for more. Even her determination to captain her own ship amused him…right up until it involved her leaving his house.

  Amber hated it when he was a step ahead of her too. Her temper tried to find an outlet but she couldn’t. The exterminator’s team was firebombing the tree in her backyard. Any drones that escaped the extermination were going to be extremely hostile for the next few days until they died naturally.

  So, she couldn’t go home. The main house was far enough away from the hive that the bees wouldn’t bother it. That left her homeless…again.

  Idaho was looking better all the time.

  “Frank, tell your mama to stop being stubborn.”

  “My tortoise is named Flamingo!” Her pet! No way was Joe going to name her baby! Who did he think he was anyway? The extermination team had brought her pet over after loading the tortoise onto a dolly. Flamingo was sitting on the hardwood floor of Joe’s living room as Amber tried to decide what to do now. Her entire possessions consisted of a giant tortoise and a suitcase.

  “Only if he’s a homosexual tortoise, and I don’t think there is such a thing. Besides, no male should have to be called Flamingo. It’s bad enough the guy is making do with a basketball for a woman.” Joe aimed a pat at Flamingo but the reptile hissed and pulled his head into his shell. He frowned but bent to pick up her suitcase next. Amber tried to beat him to it but just ended up against him with the case smashed flat against his chest. His eyes lowered to her mouth making her shiver.

  Her logical brain was doing a remarkable job of ignoring their afternoon event. Everyone had moments of insanity during life and death crises. It was just that inbred drive for survival and absolutely nothing else.

  His black eyes traced her lips with slow detail before slicing into her eyes.

  “You leave it up to me and this case is going in my bedroom. Right next to my bed.”

  “Guestroom sounds great.” She pushed away from her bag. There was just no way she was going to win in a game of tug-of-war with him. She would have to outwit the poor male instead.

  “Coward.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He turned in the doorjamb and aimed those eyes at her again. He let them slip down her body until they settled over her nipples. His mouth curved slightly until he looked hungry.

  “You heard me, Amber. I warned you that I’m not some little boy to twist around your finger. We’ve got ourselves some business to finish.” His eyes sliced back into hers as she felt her nipple rise to stiff attention. “We’ll be getting to that as soon as I get things settled, and that is a promise, honey.”

  * * * * *

  Guestroom. Like hell. Joe sat her case in the empty room next to his. His temper itched. A sarcastic grin twisted his lips as he admitted that wasn’t the only thing Little Red made itch.

  He couldn’t wait to get back inside her. At thirty-four he wasn’t used to his cock trying to rule his brain. That kind of constant hard-on was for the adolescent crowd.

  Well, Little Red was gaining his full attention. He adjusted his fly as he looked around his room. Eight years in the Navy had taught him one thing, all right. Stow your gear and clean your rack. The bedroom was neat, if a little lacking in decorating touches.

  Well, Amber had a flare for brightening up a place.

  Joe took a deep breath in response to that thought. It had just sort of appeared in his skull. His flannel comforter caught his eye as he envisioned some satin and lace puff-ball on the bed instead.

  He shook his head but grinned as he thought about those stunning nude breasts of hers right in the middle of it all. All her creamy skin bare against that satin would make it worth the effort of sleeping in it.

  * * * * *

  Amber stared at the black smoke rising above her little home. She groaned low and deep but that didn’t make her feel much better. She kept staring at that smoke until boredom forced her to abandon the post.

  Amber just didn’t want to look around the house. It was his house. She felt a tiny quiver of fear in her stomach as she looked around the place. She wasn’t even sure what frightened her. The fact that she was there or the idea that Joe might send her on her way when the bees were gone.

  It shouldn’t matter to her. The event in her kitchen shouldn’t matter either. Oh, who was she kidding? The event in her kitchen was the highlight of her admittedly limited sexual escapades. She had never even suspected her body could feel like that. If she had, there would have been a whole lot more events and escapades in her past.

  Her legs were still wobbly. Who would have thought that such an irritating man would be able to turn her knees to liquid? Why couldn’t her knees shake for Donald Wilten? Now, there was a friendly guy who had a good sense of humor and a sensitive side. But the guy kissed like a frog and didn’t even raise one of her nipples, much less her blood pressure.

  Joe raised everything from her temper to the hair on her neck. The man was obnoxious, stubborn and practically a barbarian. She doubted he even understood negotiation in a relationship. He probably had a tattoo that said “My way or the highway”.

  That wasn’t fair. Next thing she knew, she might end up liking him.

  “There’s wireless internet in my office and the room next to it. Make yourself at home. I’m going to get some work done as well.”

  Joe watched the way she looked at the front door before looking back at him. He kept his body halfway in the doorframe. She was still too nervous to suit him.

  She was staying. The woman didn’t have anywhere to go and it bothered the hell out of him that she was even considering turning down his offer. A week ago he never would have considered sharing his home with any female. Little Red was different.

  “Might as well settle down, honey, we’re going to be keeping company for a while.”

  “I could just move to Idaho.”

  A small smile appeared on his face. The expression sent a chill down her spine. There was an aggressive male staring out of his eyes right now. One who considered her his prey. “Amber, my darling. I am beginning to get the idea that you just enjoy conflict.” Joe stepped closer and a smack landed on her bottom. Amber jumped back as Joe kept smiling at her.

  Her body responded bluntly to the knowledge of his pursuit. Her breasts slowly began swelling, making themselves more noticeable for his eyes. The walls of her passage felt empty again as she felt the smooth slide of fluid easing over the sensitive skin. Reminding her of the sheer bliss of his possession.

  “You have to stay until you testify.”

  That was true enough. The court system had plenty of rights for criminals but not a whole lot for witnesses. She was tethered to the case with a chain of legal mumbo jumbo that all translated out into the fact that she was stuck.

  “Yeah, I know it.”

  He chuckled at her. Those long legs closed the distance between them before his warm hand cupped her chin. His eyes cut into hers as she surrendered to the urge to stick her lower lip out.

  “Where’s my Little Red’s spirit?”

  “Auburn!”

  His mouth caught hers as he pulled her body into his embrace. His lips took a slow, lingering kiss from her as she wiggled against the rising heat.

  “It’s red, everywhere.” His li
ps nipped her neck before lifting to her face again. “There’s baby-soft red hair on the top of your arms. I bet it grows on those amazing legs of yours too but you shave it away, and honey, those little red curls sitting between your thighs are the sweetest things I’ve ever seen.”

  “I am going to wax!”

  He threw his head back and laughed at her announcement. A second later she gasped as a hand cupped her bottom and pressed her along his length. The hard erection hidden in his jeans pressed into her belly. His eyes glittered as he watched her face reflect that knowledge.

  “That could be a whole lot of fun, too. Go right ahead and lose those little curls. It would be sexy as all hell.” Another smack hit her bottom making her gasp. “See what I mean? You just enjoy rocking the boat. Don’t matter what I say.”

  A phone rang, making him cuss softly. His fingers gently gripped her bottom before he spun her loose. “That’s my office line.” Joe’s face suddenly transformed as he looked at her. “I want you to let me know if you step outside.”

  “I don’t need your permission.” She announced her words to an empty room. She didn’t need his approval to go where she wanted to go or to change her body! Her cheeks stung as a vivid picture emerged in her imagination. Just what exactly would he do if she waxed? More importantly, what wouldn’t he do?

  * * * * *

  “Josiah, my boy, you make me a happy governor.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  A loud boom of amusement rolled out of his uncle’s chest. “I want to know how you caught that damn weasel. I told you he was using Pullman for the transfers, didn’t I? Damn it, I’m going to make it stick this time!”

  Through a rather odd turn of events, Timothy Lott had ended up in the governor’s chair. The man’s true love was law enforcement and it shone in his words over the phone line. The man held a personal vendetta for the drug traders who used Texas to smuggle their goods into the nation via Mexico.

  “Dantrolp is going to do some time and you, my boy, have earned your office.”

  “Now hold on a second.” Joe knew where his uncle was heading with that comment.

  “Now just listen up, Josiah. You’re out of the service now and need to think about settling down. How’s that girl you met? Your mother says the rumor is she’s a pretty little thing.”

  Joe squeezed the bridge of his nose and resisted the urge to deny any interest in Amber. The afternoon in her kitchen would make a liar out of him immediately. But he wasn’t in the mood to share his interest in her with anyone right at the moment. What was going one between them was theirs to deal with. The rest of the world needed to take a hike.

  “Tell my mom to hold off on ordering those wedding invitations. I just met her a week ago.”

  His uncle laughed in a low male tone. Joe heard the springs on the man’s chair groan as he leaned back in it. “Joe, cut the crap. A week is all it takes but you can get around to telling me to mind my own business.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  His uncle laughed again. “Where is the witness staying?”

  “Well, as it turns out, my place.” Joe didn’t bother to sound sorry about that fact. “Got a beehive on the back property, so I moved her into the main house while it’s being exterminated.”

  “Same gal? Well, now that ought to make things more interesting. But I like the sound of it. Dantrolp is connected to half the scum in the underworld. I like the idea of her under your eye a whole lot.” The desk chair groaned again. “Got to run, these people keep me on so short a leash, it makes a rubber band look long.”

  The line went dead making Joe shake his head. Family was the worst. You couldn’t tell them to get lost. Even if you did, they didn’t have to listen because they were kin. Sticking their fingers in your life wasn’t just normal, it was expected.

  He still wasn’t sure about being Sheriff. There had been no one interested in running for the position—there still wasn’t.

  Maybe his uncle had a point. It was time to think about setting his own roots down. Looking around the ranch-style home, Joe considered how quiet it was. It was the house his uncle had raised his kids in. That’s what made the Governor take Pullman County so personally. Quiet and remote, it was a simple place that lacked the complex problems of the urban bustle.

  Yeah, maybe it was time to do some thinking about that. There was a soft brush and thump on the other side of the wall. The corners of his mouth rose as he listened to the soft evidence that Amber was setting up her laptop computer.

  He liked the idea far too much. Enjoyment rushed through his veins like fine tequila, warm and heating his skin. It was like he could smell the delicate scent of her. Drifting through the house, it made his cock tighten with the certain knowledge that he’d get the chance to taste her again.

  His uncle’s words made him grin. Any reason to tighten his rope on Little Red was good but his gut twisted just the slightest amount as he considered Dantrolp. The man did have a history of making witnesses disappear.

  Reaching for the phone, Joe punched in a number. Privacy just might need to wait until he was sure Dantrolp didn’t have any devoted friends out there.

  There was a scratch and thump on the floorboards as Flamingo poked his head into the office. Joe punched in another line of numbers when his call connected and hung up. The tortoise ambled into the office, sniffing as it went.

  “So, what’s your price, Frank?” The tortoise didn’t retract into its shell this time. Joe reached for its head and scratched it like Amber did. The tortoise sniffed his fingers before giving a short hiss. “I see, let’s see what I’ve got in the kitchen.”

  Standing up, Joe moved towards the door but stopped as his ears detected the movements of the tortoise. Looking back, he watched the large reptile turn his shell around and begin to follow.

  “I could get used to you, Frank.”

  * * * * *

  “You must be Amber.”

  Only a mother could sound that cheerful. Amber turned and looked into the eyes of a woman who had the same dark eyes as Joe. She just walked into the house with a ring of keys dangling from her fingers as she hugged a large paper bag in her hands.

  “I’m Deborah, Josiah’s mother.” She certainly must be. The woman walked right on into the kitchen. She halted in the hallway and called out to her son.

  “Josiah! It’s your mother! Don’t shoot me.”

  She turned and winked. “Of course he probably saw my car pull up. It’s near impossible to sneak up on that son of mine now. Whatever it is they teach those boys in SEAL training, it certainly cures them of the need to be reminded to pay attention!” She smiled before taking her bag towards the kitchen.

  “Come along, dear, I brought you Josiah’s favorite chicken dish for supper and I even wrote the recipe down for you.”

  Deborah walked through the double doorway that led to the kitchen. Amber started to follow when she caught Joe standing in the hallway. The frozen look of horror on his face made her giggle. She stuffed her fist against her lips as he tried to think of some way to prevent her from going to talk to his mother.

  “Be right there, Mrs. Lott.” Joe frowned at her as he began walking towards her. Amber offered him a bright smile before jumping out of his reach.

  “I sure hope she brought some of your baby pictures.” Amber whispered her words and listened to Joe smother his cussing. “Naked ones.”

  “If you want to see skin, honey, just ask.”

  That little grin was back on his lips. The expression had been around since the event in her kitchen. The current topic certainly wasn’t one she was having while his mother was in the next room. In fact, they weren’t having it at all, ever.

  Amber stepped towards the kitchen and the clink of dishes. Anyone who volunteered to cook dinner was her immediate friend. If they also managed to outmaneuver Sheriff Joe, they were on their way to being her best friend. But her temper flared as Joe made a few clucking sounds in response to her retreat. She flung him a heate
d look but he simply raised a dark eyebrow at her anger.

  Deborah smiled at her and Amber felt her blood chill. Her eyes made a brief inspection of her body before that smile brightened. The woman was hunting for a daughter-in-law, all right.

  “Josiah is my oldest boy and I’m so proud of his manners. Did he tell you that this was my father’s house?”

  “No.” Amber stepped forward as the woman waved her towards the dinner preparation.

  “Yes, I grew up here with three pigheaded brothers, but I forgive them because I know now that I was born and they were hatched.”

  Amber giggled. She couldn’t help it. Deborah had a wicked sense of humor.

  “It’s good to see the house used. When my brother became Governor, it ended up vacant. A home should never be empty.”

  That made her chest tighten. Amber already liked the house. It wasn’t because of the modern edges, but she loved the wood floors that covered it. That older shade of hardwood that spoke of years of use with its small little scars. Joe must have painted the walls because they were creamy beige and spotless. There were also large ceiling fans in every room, the kind with wicker blades attached to them.

  “Now, I’ve brought everything for dinner. Josiah loves to eat. You’ll want to keep this recipe card handy. I’ll email you a few more but I’m sure you have your own family recipes to try out on him.”

  “Hmm, not really. I don’t cook much.”

  “Well, my dear, we are going to have to change that! Josiah is part grizzly bear—feed him or he growls.”

  Amber thought about setting the woman straight. She really did. There was just something about Deborah that told her she’d be wasting her time. The woman had decided to play matchmaker and nothing Amber said was going to break through her plans.

  On the upside, there was dinner involved. On the downside, she wasn’t exactly in the mood to deal with a kitchen counter just yet, and certainly not in front of Joe’s mother.

  A soft footfall behind her made her face flush. Deborah was rattling off the cooking instructions as she assembled the casserole in a white baking dish. Amber kept her eyes on the process as she tried not to turn around to look at Joe.