by Tawny Weber
But, typically, the guys she’d been with weren’t big on directions.
Which was probably why she’d never seen stars. With Sean, she’d seen a flicker or two but never full-oh-my-God stars.
“So?” Kathy prodded.
“So what?”
“So, are you going to shoot for the stars? Or are you going to take the route of avoidance?”
Avoidance. All the way.
After all, the last time she’d given in to a sexy fling, she’d paid. Big-time. And Sean hadn’t been anywhere near as hot, gorgeous or tempting as Caleb. Getting involved with him was crazy.
The last thing she needed was to get herself all upside down over a guy. Even a just-sex-and-nothing-more kind of guy. A more confident woman might be able to handle a sweet fling with someone like that, but her? She wasn’t that kind of woman.
For once, though, she wanted to be. She wanted to have a purely sexual fling based on nothing more than physical satisfaction and excitement. She wanted to be exciting and dynamic. Fun and maybe a little wild. No expectations of anything long-term or emotional.
And maybe, just maybe, to relax knowing that because she didn’t expect anything, her inability to read him couldn’t be termed a failure.
“He’s not going to ask me out,” she said again.
“So why don’t you ask him out?”
Why didn’t she jump up on the table and strip naked while singing Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold”? “I can’t do that,” she excused.
Kathy just gave her The Look.
Pandora pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling as if she was about to jump off a very high cliff.
It was scary.
But it was also exciting as hell.
“I’m not promising anything. But-and it’s a teensy-tiny but-but…if I do, and if he says yes, then our next kiss will involve tongues,” she vowed.
CALEB LEANED HIS LEATHER-CLAD shoulder against the black iron lamppost and stared across the street at the warm welcome of Moonspun Dreams.
He’d promised Hunter he’d give it two weeks. So in between watching the store, he’d spent the past four days nosing around. He’d hit what passed for the party scene in Black Oak. Bounced through a few bars, made himself known to the major partiers and netted a couple easy introductions to the town’s lower-level drug dealers. The first step was to get the lay of the land, to gauge how challenging the bust would be and to establish his identity.
The ecstasy was definitely available and at discounts usually only seen in Black Friday sales ads. Marketing 101, make the product cheap and plentiful until you’d hooked enough suckers, then bleed them dry. As he would on any DEA job, he’d scored a little from each dealer, sending it all to Hunter for analysis. But experience and instinct told him it was all coming from the same source. A source nobody could-or would-pinpoint.
So far this visit was a bust. He hadn’t found out much for Hunter. He hadn’t cleared his father. Of course, he’d done his damnedest to avoid seeing his father at all after that first surprise visit, but that was neither here nor there.
And all he could think about was that one small kiss from the intriguingly reticent Pandora.
Unlike his usual M.O. in breaking a drug ring, this time he had no cover. Around here, everyone and their granny knew who he was. Many had pinched his cheeks at the same time they’d bemoaned his probable criminal career. That all worked in his favor, his lousy rep ensuring that nobody questioned his activities.
Still, that was then. He’d have liked to come home and be appreciated for who he really was now. An upright citizen who’d made a life outside of crime.
Except, he realized with a tired sigh, that he really didn’t have any life outside of crime. Which was why he’d quit. To relax, to get a hobby and to figure out what he wanted from life.
Which brought his thoughts back, yet again, to Pandora. He couldn’t figure out why the woman fascinated him, but she did. She was quiet, when he usually went for the flamboyant. She seemed sweet, which he was pretty sure he was allergic to. And she was friendly with his father, which meant she had questionable taste.
As he pondered, and yes, stared at Moonspun’s window hoping to catch a glimpse of the sexy Ms. Easton, something on the corner across the street caught his eye. Two guys in black hoodies, both hunched over as if they were trying to blend in with the brick siding of Pandora’s building. Caleb shook his head in disgust. He didn’t need years of DEA experience to recognize a drug deal going down. Hell, the little old lady walking her Pomeranian was shooting the two guys the same disgusted look. When one of the guys made a hulking gesture toward her, obviously trying to intimidate, she flipped him the bird and kept mincing along in her fluffy pink knitted hat. Caleb could see the goon growl from across the street. He made as if to go after her, when his buddy grabbed his arm, saying something and showing him a bag of what Caleb assumed were the drugs in question.
Hulk flexed a little, then followed the Baggie into the alley. Caleb considered trailing them. He had no jurisdiction. Hell, he was on a pseudovacation with his resignation sitting on his boss’s desk. It was the pseudo part of that equation that made him hesitate, not the vacation or the resignation.
But, really, how far did fake authority go? Favors for buddies and an unexplained need to vindicate his father didn’t give him the jurisdiction to bust a deal going down.
Then again, when had he ever worried about rules?
Before he could step off the curb, though, Hulk slunk out of the alley. His hoodie pulled low so his face was shadowed, he loped down the street.
No point following the doper. Caleb wanted the guy hooked into whoever was running the game. He waited for him to come out.
But the alley opening stayed empty.
Five minutes later, Caleb was mentally cussing and ready to hit something. There were only two businesses accessible through that alley. Moonspun Dreams and his dad’s bike shop.
Dammit.
Before he could decide how he wanted to handle it, a car pulled up next to him. Caleb’s sigh was infinitesimal as he cut his gaze to the sheriff’s cruiser. His eyes were the only thing he moved, though.
Because he knew damn well the lack of reaction would piss Jeff off.
“I heard you were back in town,” Jeff Kendall, the bane of Caleb’s high school years, said as he unfolded himself from his car, leaning his forearms on the open door and offering an assessing look.
“Looks like you heard right.”
“C’mon, Black. Just because we didn’t get along before doesn’t mean you should be holding a grudge,” Kendall said with his good-ole-boy smile. The one he’d perfected in grade school, usually used in tandem with tattling to the teacher about the bad Black kids.
It still made Caleb want to punch him.
Hunter had broached the possibility of bringing in local law enforcement, but Caleb had nixed the idea. If the locals knew about the drugs and hadn’t shut them down, they might be dirty. And that’d been before he knew who he’d be dealing with. When he’d heard that this guy was in charge of the law in town, Caleb had sneered. No wonder they had problems.
“Look, I’m just offering a welcome home, okay. I hear you’ve seen your share of trouble after leaving town. I’m not here to add to it. But if you don’t mind a friendly warning, keep it clean while you’re enjoying Christmas with your dad.”
Caleb didn’t even blink. After all, that was his cover. Prodigal loser back for the holidays, nothing to his name except a bad attitude and a crappy reputation. And, of course, a whole lot of family baggage.
All in all, it was pretty damn close to the truth.
His silent stare seemed to bug Kendall, though. The guy shifted from foot to foot, then frowned.
“Are you standing here for a reason?” the sheriff prodded.
“Just biding my time.”
Kendall glanced around, his gaze lighting on Moonspun Dreams, then flashing back to Caleb. “Looking for a little help in the sack, are you?”
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Caleb didn’t move. Didn’t bat an eyelash. But his entire being snapped to attention.
“Thanks to Pandora and her little concoctions,” the sheriff continued, “Black Oak is seeing more sex than a teenager with his daddy’s credit card and a link to online porn.”
“Geez, Kendall. Can’t you score your own credit card yet?”
The sheriff glared, then jerked his head toward the store again. “You must be in the market for a little bedroom boost. There’s nothing else in there for you.”
It took a second before that sunk in. Caleb’s grin was just this side of a smirk as he raised his brows to the other man. “You warning me off?”
“I’m just saying you need to watch your step.” Kendall rested one hand on the gun at his hip and tilted his head. “This isn’t your town. It’s mine. Crime is low and trouble is rare. I’m not going to like it if you sweep in here, stir up a bunch of problems, then make me kick you out.”
Low crime and rare trouble? Was the guy really that bad at his job? Caleb’s eyes slashed to the corner where the drug deal had gone down. Good thing Hunter had sent him here, since Kendall clearly had no clue what was going on.
“Do you watch John Wayne movies on your nights off and practice that shit in front of the mirror?” was all he said, though.
Kendall’s red face tightened, right along with his fist. “I’m a sworn officer of the law. That makes me in charge of this town, Black. So watch your ass.”
The guy’s delusional self-importance amused Caleb enough that he could easily ignore the jabs.
Besides, he was pretty sure he’d just seen the first break in this case. And he’d much rather follow that up than exchange insults with this dipwad.
“Tell you what. You’ve piqued my interest,” Caleb said, straightening for the first time and stepping toward the curb. “I’ll head on over and see if the lady’s interested in fielding a hit or two.”
“I warned you, Black-”
Caleb just grinned and offered a jaunty salute before crossing the street.
The only thing better than having an excuse to flirt with Pandora handed to him on a silver platter was knowing how much it pissed Jeff the jerk off.
He was still grinning when he walked through the heavy brass door of Moonspun Dreams. Not seeing Pandora among the dozen or so people milling about the store, he made his way toward the back.
“The café is closed,” the airy blonde said, tearing herself away from a shaggy-haired guy by the counter.
“I’m here to see Pandora.”
“Oh.” Her look was speculative, but she just shrugged and went back to helping her client.
Caleb swept the beads aside and stepped through the door.
Then he almost tripped over his own size thirteens.
And grinned at the sight before him.
Holiday music playing loud enough to inspire a little swing of the hips as she arranged a bunch of green Christmas stuff, glittery bows and… Caleb squinted, were those blown-glass suns and moons…? Pandora stood at the top of a tall ladder before the wall by the door to the kitchen.
Her arms stretched high, her purple sweater pulled away from her jeans, showing off the pale silkiness of the small of her back. His gaze traced the tight fit of the denim, noting the hint, maybe, of a tattoo on her left hip.
Nah. She wasn’t the tattoo type. She was the good-girl type.
Wasn’t she?
Damned if he wasn’t tempted to find out.
Whichever she was, she was one sweet sight.
Caleb’s grin turned contemplative as he studied the curve of her butt, noting how perfectly those hips would fit in his hands.
A man who rarely tempered his impulses outside of work, Caleb figured why not find out. He glanced around, noting that there weren’t any customers, or drug dealers, lurking about. Striding forward, he stepped behind the counter and planted a hand on either side of the ladder.
Just in time for Pandora’s descent.
One step down, and her butt was level with his face. Right there within nibbling distance. Another step and he could push aside that nubby purple sweater and slide his lips along the small of her back. One more and, oh, yeah, baby…
Pandora gasped, her head swiveling to give him a wide-eyed look of shock.
“What the…?”
“Hi,” he said, his voice low with more desire than he should be feeling for a woman he hadn’t even groped yet.
A woman who was staring at him as if he was a combination of the Grinch and the Ghost of Christmas Future. The one who pushed poor Scrooge McDuck into his grave. In other words, she looked just as thrilled as dipwad Kendall had.
He shouldn’t tease her. She was obviously on the shy and quiet side. Caleb didn’t bother to move, though.
“What are you…? I mean, why…?” She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened those hazel eyes again and offered a stiff smile. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t fall off the ladder.”
She looked down at the five inches between her feet and the ground, then met his gaze again with an arched brow. She had a little more makeup on today than she had earlier in the week. Something was smudged around her eyes, darkening those lush lashes. Her lips, though, those soft, soft lips, were temptingly bare.
“Aren’t you the hero.”
Caleb barked out a laugh. So much for shy and quiet. He’d expected her to get a little huffy. But no, she was a lot more fun than that.
And then she blew his mind. She slowly turned on the ladder, her hip brushing against his chest as she did. Awareness spiked through his body, hot and needy.
She licked her lips, the sensual move at odds with the nerves shimmering in her golden-green eyes. And she stepped down. They were so close, the tips of her breasts skimmed, just barely, a path down his chest, leaving behind a fiery trail.
Caleb’s smile slowly faded.
He’d pegged Pandora as a sweet, small-town girl, maybe a bit naive but with an open, curious mind. He’d figured on having a little fun flirting while he gathered info.
He definitely hadn’t counted on a hard-on within the first three minutes of seeing her again.
Had he underestimated the sweet Pandora?
“Are you looking for a hero?” he asked, mentally rolling his eyes. At the question, because wasn’t that what all women were looking for? A mythical guy to sweep them away and make all their dreams come true? And at the idea of him being hero material.
“Nah, I’d rather take care of things myself,” she said with a smile and a tiny shrug. Her shoulder brushed against his wrist. “The term hero always makes me think of perfection. Since I can’t live up to it, why would I want to have to deal with it?”
“So… What? You’re looking for an antihero?” he joked, his gaze wandering over the soft, round curve of her face, noting the tiniest of dimples just there, to the left of her mouth.
“More like I’m not looking for anything,” she said.
Yeah, right.
He looked closer, noting the stubborn set of her chin and the hint of anger in her eyes. Something, or someone, had burned her. Which meant she might be serious. A not-anything relationship, short and sweet, was right up his alley.
Besides, she had info he needed.
“You might not be looking for a hero, but from what I hear, you’re exactly what I’m looking for,” he told her.
“And what do you hear?” she asked, leaning back against the ladder, apparently not bothered at all that he was still holding her there, trapped by his arms. He didn’t know if he liked that. He was used to making women nervous.
So he leaned in a little closer. Close enough that the scent of her perfume wrapped around him like a sensual fog. Close enough to see her heart beating a fast tattoo against the silky flesh at the base of her throat. Close enough to feel the tempting heat of her body.
His voice husky with need, his grin just a little strained, he said, “Rumor has it you�
��re the lady to see if I’m looking for some really hot sex.”
5
PANDORA’S MOUTH DROPPED, and with it all her bravado. Color washed, hot and wicked, over her cheeks as she blinked fast to try to clear her desire-blurred vision.
She stared at him, desperately trying to read him. Was this for real? Was he asking her for sex? Without even a bite of Foreplay cake or a nibble of an Orgasmic Oatmeal cookie? Did she say yes? Or ask him to wait until after her shift? The back room was empty, but still…
God, was she crazy? She gave herself a mental smack upside the head and tried to pull herself together. Control, girl. Grab some control.
But all she could think of was what he’d taste like naked and whether his chest was as tanned as his face under that tight black T-shirt.
Caleb’s laughter washed over her, breaking the shocked spell. As soon as it did, color slid from her cheeks, leaving behind icy-cold humiliation.
“I guess that’s what I get for listening to rumors,” he said, still chortling. “Crazy, huh? That you’d be selling sex in here.”
She frowned, his easy dismissal taking the edge off her embarrassment. What? He didn’t think she could sell sex? He didn’t think she was hot enough, wild enough, savvy enough? Was she so dismissible that he didn’t think of sex after kissing her? Even now, when he had her trapped between his body and a ladder?
What the hell?
She’d put makeup on. She’d bought perfume, something sexy and inviting. She’d worn her tightest freaking jeans. And he dismissed her? Shoulders hunching, Pandora felt herself withdrawing. Pulling inside, where she could pretend it didn’t hurt that, yet again, she didn’t measure up. Or in this case, was so easily dismissible.
Here she’d spent the past three days in a state of horny anticipation, acting like a teenage girl wishing and wondering when her crush would reenter her sphere of existence. And what happened when he did?
He laughed at the idea of her and sex.
Before she could duck under his arm and scurry off, back to the obscurity of the kitchen or storage room, she caught sight of Bonnie the cat staring at her from the window seat with her pretty black-and-white head tilted to one side as if she was waiting for Pandora to find her spine.
