The Deputy's Witness

by Tyler Anne Snell

  Caleb nodded. She noticed his jaw hardened.

  “I can only assume he decided against it so he could try to sneak around me. It was bad and good timing he got to your house when he did. Otherwise he might have taken you before we even realized he had escaped the transport.”

  “That should be a silver lining to look at, but when it comes to Dupree, I’m not too thrilled about it,” she admitted. “But I am glad you were there. I’d much rather have been grabbed by Norman than Dupree. As weird as that sounds.”

  Alyssa tried on her best “I’m all right” smile, but Caleb already looked like he wasn’t buying it. She let a sigh drag her body down. “The way Norman talked to me... I don’t think he would have hurt me. I mean, he could have done whatever he wanted with me, but he didn’t.”

  Caleb puffed up as if he had an air pump attached to him. “Just because he didn’t do anything to you doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. You were kidnapped.”

  Alyssa couldn’t help giving a small eye roll. “I know, I know.” She dropped her gaze to the coffee table. Sports magazines were stacked on top of it, being one of the few bits of proof someone inhabited the rental house. It only reminded Alyssa that Caleb’s stay wasn’t permanent. Which made her feel somehow awkward when she continued, “It’s just that, well, Norman seems to be in love with me. Or, at least, thinks he is. Which is another thing I don’t understand at all.”

  From her periphery she watched Caleb loosen a little.

  “I don’t think it’s that hard to grasp that a man fell for you,” he said, voice serious.

  Her cheeks heated for the umpteenth time. She started to open her mouth to stop him.

  “You’re brave and smart,” he continued, cutting her off. “You took a bullet trying to save a man you hardly knew. You ran into a burning building to try to save someone who might have still been alive. You blindly fought your captor to escape without any help from me. You did all that and still took the time to show concern about Robbie and Eleanor and the rest of the witnesses before showing concern about yourself.” Caleb moved to the edge of the couch, teetering on standing or, in her mind, reaching out to her. But he kept the distance as he finished. “I might not know you like the rest of this town does, but I do understand how easy it would be to fall for you.”

  Alyssa’s lips froze. What she had been about to say stalled. The heat of her blush wasn’t raging. Instead it moved across her body as a slow burn. It reminded her not of embarrassment but of something else. Something she’d felt when Caleb kissed her. Something she’d felt when she kissed him back in the sheriff’s Bronco.

  It was longing. Plain and simple.

  There was no denying its place anymore. To pretend she didn’t want the man in front of her was too much of a pain. He was right. She’d been through her own version of hell and back in the last year and week. Admitting she had kissed Caleb in the Bronco because she’d been so terrified she had lost him that when he was there, staring down at her, she’d realized how happy the sight had made her... Well, that didn’t seem so scary now.

  Still, she managed to hold back enough to correct him. With a small smile, she tucked her head a little but not her gaze. It stayed right with his mesmerizing green eyes. “I meant I don’t understand why he’s in love with me, considering I’ve never met him before.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened a fraction. For one tense moment Alyssa thought she’d offended him by pointing out he’d given her a world of compliments because of a misunderstanding. But then a slow grin pulled up the corners of his lips.

  “Ah,” he said with a little laugh. “Well, I’ve already said what I think and I’m not going to take that back.”

  It was Alyssa’s turn to laugh.

  “I wasn’t going to ask you to,” she said. “It was a really nice compliment.”

  Caleb’s grin faltered. “It’s the truth.”

  The distance between them felt unbearably vast. Somehow the foot or two seemed almost cruel.

  “You know, the past few days have put us in intense situations, and sometimes those can lead to emotions running high,” Alyssa said, voice going softer the more she spoke. Was it her imagination or was the deputy leaning closer? And was she responding in the same way? “It can confuse the way people think and feel. Especially when the rush is over and everything gets back to being quiet.”

  Caleb leaned forward, like Alyssa was attached to him by an invisible string, and she mimicked him. The impossibly large space between them shrank until it was nonexistent. Slowly, or maybe cautiously, Caleb reached out and tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. When he was done he let his knuckles brush along her jaw. His skin was warm and perfect.

  “But it’s in the quiet times like right now that I find you the most fascinating.” Caleb grabbed her by the chin, holding her steady. Holding all of her.

  And in the next second, his lips brushed against hers.

  Electricity. She could have sworn she felt it between them.

  Alyssa was ready for its current to carry them further, but once again, Caleb pulled away. Their kiss broke. With hooded eyes she watched as his lips parted to talk.

  “I—I’m sorry,” he said, pulling farther back. “I shouldn’t have—”

  Alyssa watched as the certainty of his actions fell away. It created such strong disappointment within her that Alyssa jumped up off the chair.

  “It’s fine,” she interrupted, the heat in her cheeks now complete embarrassment. It prompted her to blurt out the first thing that popped into her head. “We can count it as a goodbye kiss.”

  Whatever Caleb was about to say caught in his throat. He raised an eyebrow but couldn’t hide a look she knew well.

  Guilt.

  “Cassie told me that you’re going back to Portland,” she explained. The look of guilt worsened.

  “Eventually,” he finally said. “That’s the plan.”

  Never had she disliked four words more.

  She took a deep breath and mustered up a smile.

  “Then I guess it’s good we went ahead and got that out of the way,” she said, already angling her body to head to the guest bedroom. It was set up as an office, but there was a couch inside. That was all she needed to lick her wounds in private. “You know, I’m pretty beat anyways. I think I’m going to lie down for a little bit, if that’s okay.”

  She was already walking away, but Caleb still answered. “Maybe it’s a good idea if we both get a little sleep.”

  Alyssa nodded, felt stupid for nodding and fled to the bedroom. There she shut the door and put her back against it.

  It’s for the best, she thought.

  She pushed herself off the door but didn’t make it two steps before it opened again. Alyssa turned, confused.

  Caleb’s eyes were wide, his chest heaving. He looked every bit like a man trying to restrain himself. From what, though, was something Alyssa wanted—needed—to know. She felt her eyebrow rise.

  “The other day you said that not everyone stays,” he started. “Yeah, that might be true. People leave for all kinds of reasons. And I might not have known you that long, but—” he took a step forward “—no matter what happens, I want you to know that you are one of the only reasons that I’d ever stay.”

  Caleb’s hands found their way across the space between them and into her hair. They pulled her face to him again. Just like he had done after escaping the house. Just like she had done to him after getting away from Norman.

  His tongue parted her lips and this time around neither pulled away after a few seconds.

  Caleb moved his hands down her sides and then pulled her against him in an embrace that put her flush against him. Alyssa wrapped her arms around him as the kiss deepened. Her body began to thrum at every movement. It was a feeling that she wanted to add fire to, so when he used his embrace
to lift her off the floor, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  Alyssa had thought there was nothing more the man could say or do to make her want him more. But, somehow, Caleb Foster did it.

  He walked them to his bedroom, put her on the bed and broke their kiss. Through hooded lashes Alyssa watched as the man smiled a smile that sealed her fate.

  “Oh boy,” she whispered.

  Caleb’s smile widened. He kicked off his shoes and threw his shirt to the floor. Alyssa didn’t even pretend she wasn’t checking the man out. His finely toned chest dipped into abs that didn’t seem real before a light dusting of golden hair headed south to the hem of his jeans.

  “Well, hello, Deputy Foster,” she breathed.

  Caleb’s smile turned mischievous. She answered his with an offer of her own. Without hesitation Alyssa pulled her shirt over her head and threw it. Caleb also wasn’t for pretending he wasn’t tracing her body with his eyes. Belatedly she realized that the red-and-black-lace bra she had on was one that he himself had packed for her earlier that morning.

  “Well, hello, Miss Garner.”

  Alyssa’s heart was thumping against her chest as Caleb took charge. He moved onto the bed with purpose until he was hovering over her. Then his mouth was on her lips. Then on her shoulder. Then her collarbone.

  His lips left a trail of raised flesh as they moved across her skin. She arced upward, moaning as they reached her cleavage. He used the arc to his advantage and slipped his hand behind her back. She was too aroused to care at how easily he unclipped her bra. All she knew was that she was grateful when it loosened. It gave Caleb enough room to move one cup aside. He chafed his thumb over her nipple in a tantalizing rhythm.

  Alyssa couldn’t take it any longer. She pulled his lips back up to hers and moaned. Of its own accord her body began to pulse against his, wanting—needing—more. If the hardness pressing against her was any indication, she wasn’t the only one who was hungry.

  She had moved her hands from around his neck, down the sides of his arms, more than ready to rid the man of his pants, when her fingers ran over something she didn’t expect. Confused, she pulled away.

  He hovered above her, eyebrow raised.

  “What happened here?” she whispered, eyes tracing over his bare biceps. Two butterfly bandages were over a deep cut. It was covered in dried blood.

  Caleb managed to shrug.

  “Caleb?” she prodded.

  He sighed.

  “A bullet grazed me earlier,” he admitted. “When we were running from the house.”

  Alyssa felt her eyes widen.

  “It’s just a graze and I’m okay. The most it will do is scar.”

  Alyssa felt a heaviness in her chest.

  “You were shot because of me,” she said, her mood darkening despite a body strung out with pure arousal. “You could have been really hurt, or worse.”

  Caleb’s expression softened. He lowered his lips and brushed them gently across hers. He pulled back to meet her gaze again.

  “But I wasn’t,” he whispered. He lowered himself again, but this time his lips trailed down to her hardened nipple. She tried to restrain a moan as he kissed the tip. When he looked up at her and spoke, his breath against her skin sent a chill across her body. It made her ache in all the best ways. “And right now, Miss Garner, I’m here. With you.”

  The space between them dissolved, replaced by a desire neither could ignore. Caleb resumed kissing every part of her before each had found a way to undress the other. Alyssa opened herself to the man, and Caleb pressed against her until both were caught in a whirlwind of heat and friction and pleasure.

  Lust, longing and something undefinable created a dance between them that kept all thoughts and emotions occupied.

  Norman, Dupree Slater and Carpenter became distant memories.

  All that was left was this one room.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Warm.

  Quiet.

  Blurry.

  Alyssa’s world might have been filled with fear and danger and so much uncertainty it should have had her locked in constant panic, but the moment she woke up in Caleb’s bed, all she could feel was contentment.

  She rolled over, trying to be as quiet as possible. Even without her glasses she was surprised to be able to make out Caleb’s face in detail.

  A smile split her lips. It was because he was so close to her. Within the small bubble that was her field of good vision. Alyssa couldn’t remember the last time someone had been that close to her, especially in bed.

  That thought prompted a rush of heat to move up from below her waistline. It settled in her neck and cheeks. She’d known the man entangled with her beneath his sheets for a handful of days and yet...

  She searched his slack face, knowing she shouldn’t feel what she did. While awake his expression so often switched between a quiet burden and a loud concern, but the sleeping man she was looking at now had found peace. It might not extend past his eyes being opened, but for the moment, he seemed to have found it.

  Alyssa chanced stroking his cheek. Lying on his stomach, arm tossed over her middle and legs tangled with hers, he didn’t move an inch as she did so. She absently wondered when the last time he’d gotten good sleep was.

  A loud series of beeping snuffed out her current thoughts. Caleb’s body went from relaxed and comfortable to coiled and tense all within one moment. Two green eyes, perfectly rimmed with gold, found hers.

  “I think it’s your phone,” she said, nodding to the other side of the bed.

  Where she’d thrown his pants.

  Right next to where he’d thrown her shorts.

  She had no idea where her undergarments had wound up.

  Alyssa’s cheeks heated again as Caleb pulled his arm off her bare skin and moved his attention to the other side of the bed. His phone belted out another series of high-pitched beeps. He muttered under his breath and pitched over the side to swat for his phone. In the process the sheets shifted and Alyssa was presented with an unobstructed view of the man’s very bare backside. It was slightly blurry but still just as perfect as it had been a few hours before.

  “Foster,” he grunted, pulling his upper body back onto the bed. It shifted the sheets again and exposed Alyssa’s naked chest. There was a soreness around her nipples, but she in no way disliked it. Still, she hurried to cover herself, suddenly uncertain. They’d both melted into the heat of passion. Skin on skin, heat with heat, lust and hunger and a singular attention only for each other... But now their fire had had time to cool. What if it never happened again? What if this was the first and last time she ever felt him?

  Alyssa tamped down her worries while the man on the other end of the phone rattled off information with alarming speed.

  “Got it,” Caleb finally said, voice tight. “No, no problem. Thank you.”

  He ended the call.

  “Did they find Norman or Dupree?” Alyssa asked, hopeful.

  Caleb turned to face her, keeping on his stomach. She fought the urge to blush again.

  “No,” he said. “But the sheriff promised me he’d let me know when Robbie and Eleanor made it to their son’s house. And they did and are fine.”

  Alyssa let out a sigh of relief. While Robbie had been quick to refuse leaving town, Dupree’s escape had put pressure on his decision to stay. Especially since Dupree had chased Robbie most of the way to the police station, shooting up his truck as they went. Together Alyssa and Caleb had been able to persuade both Rickmans that maybe out of town was the safest option for them. And, to both their surprise, Cassie had been given orders to drive them to their son’s when they’d agreed. However, before they’d left, Eleanor tried her best to sway Alyssa into going with them, but everyone knew that was a pointless fight.

  Whoever
Norman was he clearly wanted Alyssa. Their best bet of capturing him was to stay in Carpenter. If she left, Alyssa had no doubt that Norman would follow. At least in Carpenter they were on her home turf. It was easier to look over your shoulder while navigating the familiar. Plus, there was no denying she felt safer with the naked deputy next to her.

  “I didn’t mean to sleep this long,” Caleb said, jumping topics. His gaze went back to his phone, but she caught his grin. “I didn’t mean to sleep at all, to be honest.”

  “My guess is that you needed to recharge.”

  Just as quickly as Alyssa said it, she felt her cheeks flame. She wanted to stick her head in the sand like the awkward woman she was. “Because, you know, you haven’t slept in a while. That’s why you needed the recharge.”

  Caleb’s grin widened.

  “I definitely got a charge of something,” he said with a wink.

  More heat thrummed through her from below her stomach. The sheets covering them seemed impossibly thin and yet cumbersome. She resisted the urge to throw them off, waiting to see what the deputy would do next.

  She wasn’t disappointed.

  Pushing himself up on his forearms, he met her stare easily enough. So close she could feel his breath against her. The same breath that had trailed across her body. His lips, soft when needed and hard when wanted, pulled up out of a grin and into a smirk. It exuded nothing but an exciting mischievousness. She saw it in wonderful detail. It prompted another unfiltered response from her. “I like when you’re this close so you’re not a blur.”

  Caleb moved in until his lips were over hers.

  Soft. Warm. Brimming with promise she didn’t know she’d wanted. Her body started to arc up, responding to the hope that the kiss would extend past just one kiss when a foreign noise cut through the air.

  Caleb laughed against her as another growl sounded.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I guess sleep wasn’t the only thing I was lacking.” He pulled away and rolled over, tapping his stomach. “I think the last good meal I had was Eleanor’s leftover pie.”