Warning Shot

by Jenna Kernan

  “You should get out of here right now,” she muttered to herself. She folded her arms over her chest and sat back in the chair. Her gaze fixed on the fire, burning low and giving a soft crackle as the logs surrendered to the flames.

  He returned with two beers in glasses. That earned points. He set hers beside her on the table and returned to his seat with his; only this time, he took the center cushion, closer to her. The proximity brought his scent to her.

  Wood smoke, something stronger and new. Had he put on cologne while he was gone? Whatever it was, it was sexy as hell. She leaned to retrieve her new drink and took a long swallow. The bubbly brew cooled her throat. They sat quietly, with the outward semblance of calm. Only her heart was thumping like a rabbit caught in a snare, and his jaw clenched as he held a smile that seemed forced.

  “This is such a nice room,” she said. That brought a beautiful smile to his face, transforming his usual serious, dour demeanor into something breathtaking. A trickle of excitement moved inside her.

  “I picked out everything.” The pride was clear in his voice and with good reason. He had an eye for masculine homey touches.

  Were they going to do this?

  He caught her gaze and held it. He set aside her drink and then his own. Then he extended his hand, palm up, offering himself to her.

  “I want to kiss you again,” he said.

  “Is that right?” she asked.

  He nodded, his gaze never wavering from hers. A luscious tingle danced over her skin and her cheeks felt hot.

  “It’s a bad idea. Long-term, I mean,” he said. “I’m staying. You’re going. That doesn’t give us a lot of time.”

  “Time is overrated,” she said.

  His smile broadened. And he gave a dry chuckle that warmed her inside and out.

  “Is that a yes on the kissing?” he asked.

  She grinned. “That’s a yes.”

  She took his offered hand and he dragged her into his arms. She settled beside him, feet on the sofa and arms hooked around his neck.

  “What if we do more than kissing?” he asked.

  “I’m open to more.”

  She waited for him to kiss her, but instead he let his gaze roam over her face, down her neck and then return, retracing his course until his gaze fixed on her mouth. She drew her lips between her teeth and dragged her bottom lip free. She watched him swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The room no longer felt warm but hot. The tension between them coiled like a spring. Still, she waited. She hoped he’d make the first move. Instead, he let his head drop back to the sofa and closed his eyes. Squeezed them tight as if the only way to resist her was to remove her from his sight. She took the opportunity to study his features. The thickness of his dark brow. The length of his feathery lashes. The slight flush that covered his cheeks and neck. The strong muscles that flanked the column of his throat. And the interesting wisp of dark hair that emerged from the top of the shirt. She had caught him dressed in little. She suspected he wore only a T-shirt and not a thing beneath the thin sweatpants. When she’d knocked, had he already been ready for bed? Would he consider taking her along?

  Waiting was overrated, too, she thought. If he knew that she was not staying and that she knew he was not going, she did not see any reason why they should not spend the evening together. It was not a conflict of interest. They were no longer on opposite sides. He had agreed to help her with her investigation, and she had shared what information she had. They were both consenting adults.

  The more she rationalized her decision, the more she had to push down the demons of doubt. Why was she trying so hard to convince herself that sleeping with Axel Trace would not be a mistake?

  Somewhere in her heart, she recognized that starting something she could not finish with this man was dangerous. She should crawl off his sofa, find her boots and march herself out of his house. She should go back to the motel and continue reading through the mountain of paperwork associated with this investigation. But she couldn’t. Some unnamable part of her could do nothing else.

  She ignored reason and her better judgment. She ignored caution and fear. She ignored doubt, as she pressed herself against him and lowered her mouth to his.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Axel’s grip about Rylee tightened as she deepened the kiss. Her insides began a persistent aching to touch his skin. The impulse to drag away every barrier that separated them built to a roar, drowning out the receding whisper of doubt.

  This was right. This was perfect, and she wanted all of him. Rylee broke the kiss and felt his resistance in the tightening of his grip before he allowed her to lean back. His confused expression made her smile. She could see the rising beat of need tighten his jaw and burn in his hungry gaze.

  She wasn’t teasing him and it took only an instant to drag the long-sleeved shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing from the waist up except her white lace bra.

  His mouth hung open for a moment and he made a sound in his throat, like a sigh, then he reached for her. Warm hands splayed across her bare back. The contact thrilled, and they shared a smile.

  “You really want to do this, Rylee?” he asked.

  “Seems so.”

  “I’m going to need you to give me a definitive answer here.”

  “Yes, Sheriff Trace, I want to make love to you, right here and now, in front of this lovely fire on this soft leather couch.” She ran a finger down his forehead and nose, pausing on his lower lip. “Definitive enough?”

  In answer, he took her index finger in his mouth and sucked. The smile fell from her lips as his tongue swirled about the sensitive pad of her finger. Her mind did the rest, anticipating the pleasure he had in store for her. Rylee’s eyes fluttered closed and her head fell back. He released her finger as his hands moved to her torso and he leaned her forward, kissing the center of her chest, just below the collarbone. Then his tongue painted tiny swirls on her flesh.

  Axel stroked her back as his mouth moved from the top of one breast to the next. She felt the clasp at the back of her bra release. Free from the constraints, she shrugged out of the lace and tossed it aside.

  His hands reversed course, coming between them as she straddled his lap. He lifted her. The calloused, rough feel of his palms on her sensitive skin gave her an erotic thrill matched only by the look of longing on his face. His focus dropped from her face to her breasts. She leaned in and he licked one nipple to a hard, aching bud.

  This time she groaned. The need that had burned her up now turned liquid and she gave in to the urge to move on top of him, rocking back and forth. Axel sucked one nipple and then the next, taking his time and making her crazy.

  She tugged at his shirt, dragging it up to his shoulders and then raking her nails over the exposed skin of his back.

  He released her with surprising strength, lifting her effortlessly off his lap and onto the seat beside him. Then he stood and stripped out of his shirt before stooping to strip off her socks. She stood then, and he unfastened her jeans, sliding them down her legs. Dressed in only a tiny scrap of white lace, Rylee waited.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice low as if they were in church.

  “Back at you,” she said and offered her hand. “Rug or couch?”

  “Ladies’ choice.”

  Rylee pointed to the sofa. Then stretched out on her back and beckoned to him. He came to her, offering her a small open packet, protecting her again. She rolled the condom over him. He squeezed his eyes shut as he sucked in a breath at her touch. She lay back and he came to her, barrier between them. His body burned. His hot, firm flesh pressed tight to her damp skin. She opened her legs and he glided into her. She savored the steady rhythm and the delicious friction. His spicy scent mingled with the smell of leather and wood smoke.

  She wouldn’t think about why this was the wrong man at the wrong time. Rylee arched bac
k, closing off all doubts and warnings and, oh, yes... This was what she wanted. Him making love to her here, safely hidden away from the rest of the world and their judgments and rules.

  She closed her eyes to savor the perfection of his loving.

  And as she moved with him, the rest of her thoughts receded until all she could do was catch the rising wave of pleasure that shattered her to pieces before dropping her safely back between the soft folds of the sofa and the warmth of Axel’s embrace.

  She dozed. Rousing when his fingers danced up her shoulder as he kissed her neck, humming his pleasure.

  They snuggled together on the wide leather sofa, the fire heating the room. Something about the feel of him, his scent and the strength of his big solid body made her feel grounded and at home. She stroked the warm velvet of his back, savoring the feel of his skin when his voice rumbled through his chest.

  “Do you like it up here on the river?” he asked.

  “It’s got a rugged beauty,” she said, hearing the languor in the slowness of her voice.

  “Would you ever think of staying?”

  The languor dissolved, and she stiffened. What was he asking?

  “I’ve got plans, career plans to earn an assignment in New York City.”

  He made a disapproving sound. “You ever been there? It’s noisy and dirty and crowded.”

  “And a major assignment.”

  “I thought you said you wanted to stop moving from place to place.”

  “Well, yes. But after I get promoted.”

  The rumble in his chest was back, sounding like a growl.

  “No end to that. Just like your childhood being dragged from one posting to another. Only this time you are doing it to yourself. Don’t you want a home, Rylee?”

  She scowled. Her career advancement involved a willingness to travel. Getting to New York would put her in a place to make a real difference. She looked forward to telling her family, imagined the conversation with her father. It was important to do well, more important since she was not in the military.

  She lifted to an elbow to look down at his handsome face, marred only by the frown tugging at his mouth.

  “Would you ever consider leaving this county?”

  His answer was immediate. “I can’t.”

  “Because of your job. Elected official?”

  “I know this place. Everything I am is because I was born in Onutake County. There are real good people here and then there’s the ones that bear watching. I’m here for them, to be here when things go bad.”

  “You sound like it’s a foregone conclusion.”

  “It is.”

  “Anyone specific?”

  “The Congregation of Eternal Wisdom.”

  “Ah,” she said. “We talked about them. They’re on my watch list.”

  “They definitely should be.”

  “You have information on any illegal activities?”

  “Just bilking vulnerable people out of their life’s savings and twisting their beliefs to Reverend Wayne’s version of faith.”

  “Not illegal, as I’ve said.”

  “Immoral, then.”

  “That’s why you stay? Because of that religious order.”

  “It’s a cult.”

  She swallowed back her disappointment. Was that a lump in her throat? What was happening to her?

  She had enjoyed sleeping with him, but she wasn’t looking for a relationship. Who was she kidding? Sleeping with Axel had been mind-blowing and now that she could think again, she realized she was in real trouble.

  “So, you’re needed here.” Why did she even want to know and why was she holding her breath?

  “I am. Maybe someday I’ll be free of this place.”

  * * *

  AXEL WOKE IN the gray predawn light, lying on his back with Rylee beside him. She slept on her side, pressed between the leather back of the couch and his body. One arm lay on his chest, with her palm pressed flat over his heart. Her cheek rested on his shoulder and her mouth was open as she gave a soft snore with each intake of breath. Her top leg was coiled about one of his, so that her foot and ankle threaded beneath his opposite calf.

  She’d asked him if he’d ever leave the county. Nothing had tempted him so much as her question. The tug to be with her was new, like some invisible cord drawing him to her.

  Then there was his father and his promise to see Axel suffer for daring to leave the fold. He knew exactly how his father might do that; he could call his followers together and, at his word, they would all return to their rooms and take their lives. That included the children, his siblings, who had stayed and the mother he could not even name. She was there among the other women, one of them. He’d tried shutting them down and failed. He didn’t have the authority. His father knew that and seemed to bask in Axel’s powerlessness.

  Rylee’s skin was covered in gooseflesh. The fire had burned out and the air in the room held the chill that told him the forecasted cold front had arrived. His arm was under her and his fingers splayed over one perfect orb of her ass. He resisted the urge to squeeze. Instead, he lifted his opposite hand and dragged the fleece blanket from the back of the chair, covering their naked bodies. Rylee hummed her satisfaction and then nestled closer.

  One eye opened and she peered up at him.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” he whispered and brushed a strand of blond hair from her cheek, tucking it behind the shell of her ear.

  “I’ve got to pee.” She pushed up and groaned. “Freezing in here.”

  “Take the blanket,” he said.

  In a moment, he had the fleece around her shoulders.

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “Heading to my bed. Care to join me?”

  “Sounds reasonable.” She grinned and then went down the hall toward the guest bathroom as he headed to the master.

  They reconvened in his king-size bed, where she dropped the fleece in favor of the down comforter and flannel sheets and him.

  “Oh, the sheets are cold,” she said, shivering.

  “Not for long,” he promised.

  When they finally stopped warming the sheets and each other, the bedding was tangled about his waist, two of the pillows were somewhere on the floor and they were both panting. He gathered her in, their moist skin sticking them together like Post-its. He smiled, tucking her head under his chin as he embraced her.

  He had known they’d be good together, but Rylee in the flesh was so much better than anything he could ever have imagined. She was bold and more uninhibited than he would have guessed. In her professional life, Rylee was exacting, demanding and a pain in his butt.

  In his bed, she was generous, thrilling and the best thing to happen to him in forever. He wondered if she had an early start and if she didn’t, if he could manage to keep up with her.

  He grinned like a fool at the ceiling of the quiet room as Rylee’s breathing changed. His entire body felt sated and relaxed, and he had the suspicion that it was not just having sex with an amazing woman that he had to thank. It was sleeping with Rylee. He really wanted to please her and to give her a piece of himself that he had kept from all the others. He wanted her to know him as no one else had. The smile began to fade.

  Why was that?

  He wasn’t stupid enough to think that if he were good enough in bed, she might not want to leave him. Was he?

  He pressed his free hand to his forehead and groaned. That was exactly what he thought. If they were perfect together, she might just change her mind about this case and her promotion and quit everything to live forever in his arms.

  He was, in layman’s terms, an idiot.

  As if to prove his point, Rylee’s phone alarm sounded from the living room and she was up and retrieving the device before he could even drag the pillow from his face. He opened his eyes to see
the golden light of morning made richer from the reflection off the yellow leaves of the sugar maple that occupied much of the backyard. The next thing he saw was Rylee dressed in her wrinkled jeans and rumpled shirt, still barefoot as she crossed before the bed, staring at her phone. She disappeared into the bathroom without even glancing at him in the bed.

  That was bad, he knew. Really bad. He’d made more than a few hasty exits after spending the night somewhere that, in the morning, seemed like a mistake.

  He dropped back into the pillows. Morning had come, and he needed to play it cool as if this were just one of those things, except it wasn’t. Maybe he should tell her that.

  Or never tell her that. The sound of the water running brought him to his feet. Images of Rylee, soapy with suds rolling down her body, sent him to the bathroom door. His hand on the knob, he paused. Then he realized it was the water running into the sink and that a closed door was a clear indicator that she did not want his company.

  His hand fell to his side.

  “Breakfast?” he called.

  “Sorry. I’ve got to run.”

  And what had he really thought she would do? Call her boss and resign?

  Axel dragged himself back to bed and realized that his hamstrings were sore and that he was still naked. He needed to start running again.

  “Run away from Rylee, maybe,” he muttered. The chill in the air made him choose jeans and a flannel shirt, which he dragged on over a clean white T-shirt.

  He headed to the kitchen, hoping that some fresh brewed coffee would wake him up to the fact that what had rocked his world had clearly not been an earth-moving experience to Rylee.

  He didn’t like being a workout dummy. Question was, should he tell her so or cross his fingers and hope she needed him again?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rylee blinked at herself in the medicine cabinet mirror. Her hands were on the edge of his sink, only inches from his shaving cream, razor, toothpaste and toothbrush that lined the back of the countertop.