by Katie Reus
Tease Me, Baby
O’Connor Family Series
Katie Reus
Tease Me, Baby
Copyright © 2017 Katie Reus
Cover Art by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs
Editing: Julia Ganis
Digital Formatting by Author E.M.S.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the right to resell, distribute, print or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload this book to a file sharing program. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
ISBN: 9781635560060
Table of Contents
TEASE ME, BABY
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Dear Readers
Excerpt from MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Complete Booklist
Dedication
For my mom. A one of a kind woman.
Chapter 1
Fallon O’Connor shoved her hands in her jacket pockets as she stepped out of Yuletide Spirits, one of the local bars in Holly, North Carolina, a picturesque mountain town where it was Christmas year-round. Something she adored.
Normally.
Right about now, however, she wanted to go home, get out of the icy weather and feel sorry for herself. Which was freaking pathetic. She’d been offered a coveted spot in a culinary school across the country. Something she should be thrilled about.
But the thought of leaving her family, the unique town she loved, her friends… It just wasn’t as appealing as it should be. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself it was what she wanted.
A flash of blue lights reflected against the bank of windows along Main Street. The sight made her jump, and even before she’d turned around, instinct told her exactly who she’d see. Not one of the many deputies of Holly, but the sheriff himself.
Sexy Brad Fulton, who she’d been avoiding for a month and a half—ever since the Christmas Eve party when she’d made a fool of herself and kissed him. Okay, maybe not exactly a fool, since he’d been into it at the time But what had she been thinking dragging him into the privacy of the pantry at her parents’ house and attacking his mouth with hers?
Mr. Boy Scout was not for her. He was exactly the type of man her family would expect her to settle down with. Freaking perfect.
She didn’t want perfect. She already didn’t live up to her mother’s standards; she didn’t want to end up with a man who was so perfect that she’d always be compared to him. The kind of man where people would tell her that she was “lucky” someone so perfect was with her.
Ugh.
“Fallon.” That deep, sexy voice rolled over her like the sweetest aphrodisiac.
She felt it all the way to her core, even if she wanted to deny the effect he had on her. Kind of impossible when heat rushed between her legs just looking at him. It didn’t matter that there was a light layer of snow dusting everything—that voice warmed her up from the inside out. Swallowing hard, she half-turned to see his window rolled down, but kept walking. Her vehicle wasn’t that much farther. Just another block. “Hey, Boy Scout.”
His jaw tightened at her use of the nickname. “You been drinking?” he asked through the open window as he slowly cruised down the street alongside her.
She stopped in her heeled ankle boots and turned fully to him as she placed her hands on her hips. “Seriously? That’s what you want to ask me?” It was after eleven and she had been leaving a bar, but still. The question annoyed her.
“No.” He put the patrol car in park and turned off the engine.
Before she could blink he was out and in front of her in full uniform. The uniform was what gave him that sexy, strong vibe. Yeah, right. She couldn’t even lie to herself. Yes, the uniform on him made her think bad, bad things, but Brad was like a pillar of strength and hotness even without it.
“I want to ask why you’ve been ignoring me since Christmas.”
“Christmas Eve.” The two words popped out.
“Technically Christmas, since we kissed again after midnight.” Lights from the garland-wrapped cast-iron Victorian poles reflected in his dark eyes as he stared at her as if she was the only person in the world who existed. Who mattered.
And that was the crux of the problem. She could fall for him if she wasn’t careful, and that so wasn’t happening. Not when she was leaving in two weeks and she was nowhere near the kind of woman he should be with. Someone who had their life together. She cleared her throat. “Who says I’m ignoring you?”
“You want to play that game?” he murmured, his gaze dropping to her mouth as he took another step closer so that only inches separated them.
And oh, she felt that look between her legs. “No, but I could think of another game to play.” Her voice sounded all seductive and sultry. Gah, what was she doing? She should be turning away from him. Walking to her car. Driving home. Going to sleep. Alone.
His gaze narrowed again, this time for a different reason. “Have you been drinking?”
Okay, the question was fair. She’d been ignoring him since that insane kiss and now she was flirting. But come on, it was impossible not to when he was in front of her looking like Captain America. “I had a glass of champagne almost two hours ago. But…” Placing her finger on her nose, she turned slightly away from him and started doing the “DUI walk,” putting one foot in front of the other as she walked a perfect straight line. After taking ten steps down the sidewalk she swiveled, her little skirt flaring out—and she didn’t miss the way Brad’s eyes landed on her legs, and stayed there a moment too long. Apparently it didn’t matter that she had on leggings under her skirt—he was watching her as if he could imagine her naked. Something she liked very much. Because she imagined him naked every time she saw him.
Striding back to him—with just a bit more of a sway of her hips—she only stopped when she was inches in front of him. His wide chest was rising and falling a little faster than normal, his eyes dilated as he stared down at her. Even in her heels he still towered over her, since she was only five feet two inches.
The man was huge, and absolutely gorgeous. Of course, he’d probably hate the term gorgeous. But he was a spectacular specimen of a male. Wide shoulders, close-cropped dark hair, a hard, angular jaw, ripped muscles that even his boring black polyester uniform couldn’t hide. She’d been wrong—Captain America had nothing on him. His badge glinted under the streetlights, making her think bad, bad things. Like how sexy would it be to feel him inside her while he had on his uniform? Or part of it, at least.
She wanted this man with an intensity that defied logic. Which was part of the reason she’d been ignoring him. A girl only had so much self-control when faced with
all this deliciousness. Even as she knew she would regret what she planned, she said, “I don’t feel safe walking to my car. Would you mind being my escort?” She knew he had to say yes since he was an officer of the law, but she also knew that he was fully aware she wasn’t scared to walk to her car.
Not in Holly, where the town looked like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting and they hadn’t had a murder in who knew how many years. In the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains, the town’s shops were decorated three hundred and sixty-five days a year with Christmas trees, snow globes, garland, twinkly lights and anything else someone could imagine. The Victorian gingerbread architecture just added to the appeal, and the tourists and locals alike loved it. Right now, she wasn’t thinking about any of that.
No, she was thinking about how she could get another taste of the sexy Boy Scout.
What was the matter with her? This was beyond stupid. She was leaving soon and he was not the type of man she wanted. Nope. Nope. Nope.
He cleared his throat, looked up and down the street, then back at her. And there was only heat and hunger in his gaze this time. “You like playing with fire,” he murmured, that hot gaze landing on her mouth once again.
Shoving her hands in her pockets, she turned away from him and headed down the street, her heels clicking on the sidewalk with each step. He’d either follow her or he wouldn’t.
Seconds later, he fell in step with her, the radio on his belt squawking occasionally as they walked in silence. And it wasn’t her imagination either—the air between them crackled with an intensity she’d never experienced before.
He turned the radio down as they walked so that it was on a low setting, the words all background noise.
Just being around him, and she turned into this puddle of need. It made no sense. She’d dated in college, had a couple boyfriends, though things always fizzled out because the chemistry wasn’t there. Since moving home a year ago, she hadn’t dated at all. She lived on her own while doing contract work as a pastry chef, but she had three protective older brothers and people in town gossiped, simple as that. Besides, she hadn’t been interested in anyone enough to say yes to requests for dates.
Brad was the first man she’d wanted to say yes to—but he checked every single box of what her mother would want for her. Mr. Perfect. He’d literally been in the papers for saving a drowning puppy years ago. Not only that, he had a box full of medals from his time in the Marine Corps, which okay, was incredible. He really was a good man.
Deep down she figured that he’d realize she wasn’t the right kind of woman for him. At a crossroads in her life right now, she felt almost adrift. And she was never going to be that perfect woman like her mom. Who made everything look so easy. Raising four kids, had the perfect marriage after decades, and all sorts of expectations for Fallon. And all her brothers had stacks of medals from their time in the military too. Just like her father. Everyone was so accomplished. What did she have? A business degree she wasn’t using, and contract work because she couldn’t figure her life out.
“How’ve you been?” Brad’s deep, delicious voice cut through the cold night air and her depressing thoughts.
“Good.” She inwardly cringed, trying to think of something better to say when all she wanted to do was shove him up against the nearest wall and climb his hard body. Maybe that would get him out of her system. She nearly snorted at the thought. More likely it would just make her want him even more.
“I hear you’ve been delivering baked goods to Nora’s. Had a couple of your mini cakes.”
Nora owned Nora’s Books and Brew, a combination coffee shop and bookstore—she was also the fiancée of one of Fallon’s brothers as of tonight. “Yeah, Nora wanted to experiment with selling more baked goods, see how they went over with everyone.”
“Well they’re a hit as far as I’m concerned.” He patted a hand over his flat stomach. He shot her another heated look as they reached the alleyway she planned to cut through.
Motioning in which direction they should go, she said, “I… I’ve been thinking what it would be like to run my own food truck. One purely with baked goods.” She wasn’t sure why she was telling him. She hadn’t told a soul about her silly dream.
“That’s a great idea.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Holly is the perfect place for it, too.”
“That’s what I was thinking too. I even have a name—Sugar Rush.” She’d also saved the social media links and domain name for a website. Just in case.
His lips kicked up, making him so handsome she could hardly stand it. “I like it.” There he went again with that voice. And that look. And…everything about him made her want to jump him, right freaking now.
“That’s me,” she said as they approached her brother’s truck. “My car’s in the shop.”
He frowned a little but didn’t respond as she pressed the key fob. When he opened the driver’s side door for her, her heart did a little flip-flop. The man had manners, sexiness, and could kiss like no one’s business.
Something she’d been trying not to think about since Christmas. Trying and failing. She moved a little closer to the running board, planning to step up into it.
She wasn’t sure how that first kiss on Christmas Eve had happened, exactly. One moment they’d been politely talking, Brad watching her with those dark eyes she could drown in. Then she’d asked him to help her get something out of the pantry at her parents’ house in the middle of the holiday party—and once they’d been alone inside they’d basically attacked each other. She’d been toying with the idea of maybe kissing him, but he’d made the first move. Which had been incredibly hot. She didn’t like chasing after a man, and for him to take that initiative? It had just spurred her into action.
Before she was able to step up into the truck, Brad was on her. Maybe he’d been remembering the same thing she had.
Everything was just like before—his taste, his masculine scent, the feel of his muscular shoulders under her fingertips as she clutched at him like her life depended on it. His gun belt dug into her hips as she found herself hoisted up into the truck. Seconds later, the hum of the seat moving back filled the cabin and Brad was on top of her as the door closed behind them. Everything happened so fast, she could barely catch her breath. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
This was all sorts of wrong. In fact, she couldn’t believe the Boy Scout was doing this at all, especially when he was supposed to be working. When he was actually in his uniform. She managed to tear her head back for a moment. “What are we—”
He cut off whatever she’d been about to say with another savage kiss. And savage was the only way to describe it. He ate at her mouth as if he was starving and only she could fill him. Something she understood well because she felt exactly the same.
This man could be an addiction, one she’d never seen coming. He was older than her by about six years, so they’d never had the same friends and never run in the same circles, but she knew his reputation. He wasn’t a ladies’ man. If anything, he’d earned his nickname. He’d been an All-American type of guy before heading off to college. Then he’d moved back home two years ago, been elected sheriff and had taken to the job like a fish to water. Everyone in town loved him.
His reputation was stellar, untarnished. And if anyone saw him doing this, it could seriously damage his career. Because that was how small towns were.
She shoved at his shoulder once. When he pulled back he was breathing hard and staring down at her with an expression that said Why are we stopping?
“Brad—”
He groaned softly, leaning down to nibble at her bottom lip. “I love it when you say my name.”
For a moment, she arched into him, dug her fingers into his shoulders—then shook her head once. “Don’t distract me. What the heck are we doing? This could get you in a lot of trouble.” And she found that she cared very much. She might tease him about being a Boy Scout but she sure didn’t w
ant to see him hurt professionally. She didn’t want to see him hurt at all, which was why she needed to keep her distance from him.
“Don’t care.” And his mouth was on hers again.
She wanted to push the subject, tell him to stop, but no one was around and he was a grown man who made his own decisions. This little strip of parking was reserved for Nora’s bookshop during the day, but it was well past closing hours. No one should be back here, and even if they were, the truck windows were tinted. So yeah, that was how she convinced herself that this was okay.
And when Brad’s hand slid under her skirt and started tugging at her leggings, she didn’t stop him. No, she shoved the leggings and her panties down until they were around her ankles. She should feel ridiculous but instead when his big hand cupped her mound she shuddered. She was mostly clothed but felt more exposed, more vulnerable than she ever had.
She’d never done anything like this before. Had only ever had sex with a boyfriend, and usually after a whole lot of dates. Never in a vehicle, and not with a man who she’d shared only a couple kisses with.
This was new, and she decided right then and there she wasn’t going to overthink this. She was leaving in two weeks. This would just be fun. She could freak out later.
When Brad slid a finger inside her, she pretty much forgot to think altogether.
“So tight,” he murmured against her mouth, sliding another finger inside her as he pulled back to look down at her. “I’m going to make you come.” His words sounded a lot like an order.
Fallon found herself simply nodding as her inner walls tightened around his thick fingers.
