Anticipation (6 page)

After the initial shock wore off, Jonas’ brow furrowed in concern. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Glancing at the tangle of covers beneath them, she grinned. “Good thing you and the covers broke my fall.”

Jonas’ warm hands clasped her bare buttocks and a sinful smile canted his lips. “Nah, I meant to do this, darlin’.” His work-roughened hands grabbed her rear tighter, and he used his hold to press her mound hard against his cock. “I’ve been dying to see how well you’ve learned to ride.”

“Hmmm, that sounds like a challenge.” Deidre kicked the covers off her legs and slid her hands up his chest, enjoying the flex and play of his thick pectorals and the light sprinkle of dark hair under her fingers as she straddled his hips.

Jonas captured her hands and planted a kiss on the beating pulse at each wrist. His gaze heavy with desire, he placed her hands on his shoulders. Running his hands down her sides, he palmed her thighs. “When you ride me, I want to feel every single muscle from here,” he squeezed her thigh muscles then ran his hands up her thighs until his thumbs touched her sex, “to here, gripping the hell out of me.”

Jonas left her completely speechless. Deidre had never felt sexier and more cherished than she did by the man lying underneath her. Lifting herself up on her knees, she slowly lowered her body down over his shaft until his cock filled her completely.

The full, stretching sensation felt so damn good, she just sat there for several seconds and closed her eyes, savoring the numerous emotions and physical responses running through her. Past yearnings, dream-filled nights, jerking awake sweating and throbbing. Lust, elation, building passion and mutual body heat merged, creating a sense of rightness and completion she couldn’t put to words.

She opened her eyes when she felt Jonas’ chest rising and falling at a faster pace underneath her hands.

“I’m sure I’m going to like how you ride, but damn, you’re beautiful just sitting astride.”

She heard the tension in his tone, felt the tightness of his skin under her palms. Jonas was holding back for her. She flexed her inner muscles and grasped his cock in a tight pelvic squeeze. “But then it wouldn’t be called riding, would it?” She began to rock her hips in a steadily increasing motion. Every movement jammed him deeper inside her, sending jolts of exquisite pleasure shooting to her sex.

“No, I guess it wouldn’t.” His voice sounded a bit strained as his fingers dug into her buttocks.

Deidre shivered at the sexy picture he made with his wavy black hair all askew and the muscles in his tan neck flexing in and out. His eyes were half closed, watching her, and his nostrils flared as he took deeper and deeper breaths. Her gaze slid lower to his abs, flexing with each counter thrust of his hips. She decided she liked this position, if nothing else for the great view it gave her of his well-cut, hardworking body.

When he reached up and rubbed her nipples with his thumbs, then tweaked the sensitive pink tips between his fingers, he said, “I’m not planning on coming alone.”

“You…you don’t have to worry,” she stammered as splinters of desire shot down her belly and straight to her sex with each bit of pressure he applied. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and leaned closer as her climax approached in tighter and tighter spirals of erotic flexes.

Jonas pinched her nipples hard and said in a husky voice, “Nothing compares to the feel of your warm body clasping me tight.”

She was so close. The pleasure-pain he applied to her nipples sent tiny shockwaves rippling down her spine, but when he grabbed her hips and thrust upward at the same time he pulled her closer, his cock hit just the right spot on her clit. She almost missed his roar of pleasure as he came because her own scream of ecstasy lasted throughout her orgasm.

Thunderous, unrelenting vibrations contracted her walls around him again and again. She rocked against his thick cock, riding her climax until her arms and legs shook so hard she collapsed on his chest.

As her body rose and fell with his heavy breathing, Deidre reveled in the sheen of sweat that coated both their bodies. Jonas ran his fingers across her hair, pushing the damp strands away from her face. She smiled at the tingle of excitement his slight touch evoked within her, knowing she’d never get enough of him. From his strong sense of right and wrong, to the way he made her knees threaten to give way whenever he stepped into the room, the man more than fulfilled every fantasy she’d ever had…and then some.

While his heart rate slowed to its normal pace, Jonas inhaled Deidre’s alluring pear-blossom scent. He relished the feel of her weight blanketing him and the sensation of being deep inside her. He could see himself with this woman forever. The thought made his stomach knot and deep-seated mistrust rush to the forefront of his mind. Not to mention fear. He didn’t want to be hurt again. He felt so strongly about Deidre, she had the power to destroy him.

He knew Deidre had done nothing to deserve his judgment, but some wounds never healed. She deserved a man who could completely give her his trust and his heart. His body tensed and his grip around her waist tightened at the thought of Deidre kissing, let alone having sex with another man.

She lifted her head, concern etching her brow. “What’s wrong?”

His gaze searched hers. “Nothing. I just wish I’d met you eleven years ago.”

Her fingers brushed his jaw as a half smile tilted her lips. “Our pasts are just that. Never regret it. Instead, be proud of the decisions you’ve made. They are the building blocks of who you are.”

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Yeah, mistrustful, hard, unyielding.”

Surprise lit her gaze. “Is that truly how you see yourself?” Shaking her head, she slid to his side and leaned on her elbow to stare at him. “I see a one-in-a-million man, a man who walked away from a magnetic attraction due to his own moral standards. I see a man whose calculated thinking landed him the well-respected role as the town sheriff.”

“A man who will never trust another woman,” he interrupted in a cold tone. She didn’t need to know fear was the driving factor.

She raised her eyebrow at his narrowed, suspicious gaze. “Really? You wouldn’t trust a woman who ached to touch you, who felt your desire, knew you wanted her, a woman who had no personal relationship or binding commitment holding her back?”

She rolled away, stood and stared down at him. “Men aren’t the only ones who own the right to start a relationship, Jonas.” Pointing to her chest, she continued. “This woman walked away because of her moral standards.”

Before he could respond, she grabbed the shirt he’d tossed onto the chair beside the bed and walked out of the room.

Jonas sat up and rested his elbow on the bed, staring at the open doorway…speechless. Leave it to Deidre to put it all in perspective. He knew he’d fallen in love with her spunky, tell-it-like-it-is self for a reason. He no longer had to deny his attraction to her. She was right. She had walked away and never pursued their mutual attraction. Like him, she’d never forgotten. She had always cared…all these years.

Once he’d pulled on his jeans, he found her in the living room. She stood wearing his shirt, her back to him as she stared out the window. His cock hardened instantly when he mentally acknowledged she was naked beneath his shirt.

His woman.

He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Gathering her close, he nuzzled her neck. “Would an apology for being a complete ass earn your forgiveness?”

She folded her arms over his and sighed. “I can’t change the past.”

He turned her in his arms and planted a kiss on her forehead, his heart thumping hard. A lump formed in his throat, but he had to ask. “Are you offering me a future?”

She grinned and snaked her arms around his neck. Standing on her tiptoes, she spoke next to his ear in a husky voice, “I know you said you’d never ask a woman to marry you again. If you plan to stick to your vow, because men do silly things sometimes, I hope that you’d at least consider the alternative of accepting a woman’s marriage proposal.”

Jonas’ heart jerked and he set her away so he could meet her gaze. He couldn’t dare hope. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

Deidre laughed and shook her head. “No. I’m not. I’m just asking you to consider the possibility that the male isn’t the only one who can propose marriage.”

Confusion settled within him. As much as her statement made his aversion to commitment and opening himself up to being hurt jump front and center in his mind, his stomach twisted into knots. For a split second he’d experienced joyous acceptance of the idea of having Deidre to himself, ’til death did they part.

A wide grin spread across his face and his spirits lifted as he locked his fingers together at the base of her spine. “If the right woman asked me, I think my answer would be a definite ‘yes’.”

Grabbing his hand at the small of her back, she laced her fingers with his, a sexy smile on her face. “I’m glad to hear you’re open to the possibility.” She tugged him back toward the bedroom. “Now, about that soft bed calling to us…”

Jonas quickly scooped her up in his arms and chuckled at her squeal of surprise. As he carried her into the bedroom, he planted a kiss on her throat. “You really don’t think you’ll actually sleep in that bed as long as I’m around, do you?”

When she responded with a seductive “I’m counting on it, cowboy”, he felt the tension in his chest he’d constantly carried around like a coat of armor start to give way to something akin to relaxation.

A couple hours later, Jonas awoke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Dawn’s light streaked through the green and white curtains as he quickly got up and pulled his phone from his jeans back pocket.

Flipping open the phone, he glanced at the caller ID and spoke in a low voice. “What do you have, Jeff?”

“Heya, boss. I roused Jamie at Kicks Footwear and got him to check his records. Good thing for us this particular style of shoe was recently released in the market. Because the manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty, the store keeps track of sales. Only three people have bought the boys’ tennis shoes that match both the size and the shoe tread we lifted near the barn.”

Jonas straightened his spine as he shifted to sheriff mode. “Give them to me.”

“Joey Randall, Chaz Blackstone and Aaron Shomar.” Jeff paused for a second and continued. “Motive and connection come to mind. Know what I’m thinking, sir?”

Jonas’ gaze narrowed. The Blackstones owned the Blackstone B&B that had opened in town a little over a year ago. He knew the Blackstones were friendly with Deidre’s parents, but their son Chaz was a bit of a hothead. There was only one way to find out if He was responsible for the vandalism and destruction on the Flying Wind property. “I think we’re both on the same page. I’ll stop by and pick you up on the way to the Blackstone B&B.”

“Think Chaz’ll be up that early?”

Anger festered within him at the thought Deidre could’ve been hurt because of a teenager’s stunt. “I don’t give a rat’s ass if he’s up that early or not,” he shot back before he closed the cell phone with a determined snap.

“You have to go.”

Deidre’s sleepy voice drew his attention. She looked so sexy sitting up on her elbow, her tangled, wavy blonde hair framing her face. Understanding reflected in her green gaze as she held the sheet around her breasts and stared at him intently.

Jonas nodded while pulling on his underwear. “We’re chasing down a lead in yesterday’s fire.”

Deidre sat up, her expression alert. “I hope you find who did this. I really don’t want to leave my parents behind with someone still lurking out there who’s elevated his pranks to deadly activities.”

Jonas’ heart constricted at her casual mention of leaving. “Your parents will be back today?” Damn, he’d been so caught up in Deidre, he’d lost track of time.

She nodded.

Mixed emotions shifted within him like a sandcastle being eaten by the ebb and flow of an inevitable incoming tide. While he shrugged into his jeans and shirt, his gut told him to ask her to stay, but old wounds kept the words locked deep inside.

Setting his jaw, he gave her a curt nod. “I’ll have a report to them by the end of the day.”

A half smile curved her lips. Sexual tension and unspoken words flowed between them while they stared at each other for several seconds.

She tilted her head as if she sensed the internal battle going on in his head. “You’d better get going.”

Snapping to attention, Jonas squared his shoulders and pulled on his socks before stepping into his boots. He turned to go, but cast his gaze back her way. Before he could speak, she made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go.”

Jonas grabbed his Stetson from the dresser and set it firmly on his head. As he walked out of the room, she called after him, “The sheriff always gets his man.”

And his woman, he finished mentally. As he made his way out of the house, a broad smile spread across his face. And it felt damn good.

* * *

“Can you believe he’s up at this hour?” Jeff sounded surprised as Jonas drove down the Blackstones’ asphalt drive toward the bed and breakfast ranch house.

Chaz Blackstone tugged his baggy jeans back up his lanky form as he stood up from a crouched position at the edge of the drive. He dipped his paintbrush into a can of white paint then applied a new coat to one of the wrought iron spindles on the fence that curved in a semicircle around the entrance to the B&B.

When Jonas turned into the drive, Chaz glanced their way. Adjusting his navy blue baseball hat, he squinted against the bright morning sun.

Once he turned off the car engine, Jonas handed Jeff the folder that was on the seat between them and got out of the car.

“Mornin’, Sheriff.” Chaz touched his hat’s bill and stared at his visitors, paintbrush paused in midair next to the fence. “My parents are inside preparing the morning meal for their guests.”

“Being punished?” Jonas asked as he glanced at the gallon can of paint next to Chaz’s tennis shoes. While his gaze was averted, he surreptitiously examined the teenager’s athletic shoes. Sure enough, they matched the picture of the brand the Kick Footwear’s manager said was in high demand with the lifetime warranty.

“Nah, just making the place look nice.” Chaz returned to his work, swiping his brush along the thin wrought-iron post.

Jonas caught Jeff’s nod toward Chaz’s shoes. He raised his eyebrow to let the deputy know he saw them. Now, to get the kid to willingly show him the bottom of his right shoe. “You been working hard around here this weekend?”

Chaz paused his brush strokes for a second. “Yeah, helping my parents with the upkeep,” he commented before he bent and wiped more paint on his brush from the can.

A few drops of white paint landed on the black asphalt as he returned the brush to the fence, giving Jonas an idea.

He stepped right beside Chaz and kicked the nearly full can of paint as he pretended to inspect the boy’s handiwork. “Nice job, son.” Satisfied that enough of the white paint had sloshed over the side of the can and onto the pavement, he asked in a casual tone, “You didn’t go out at all yesterday?”

“Huh?” Chaz stopped painting and glanced at him, wrinkling his freckled nose.

Jonas was determined to draw the kid out. “Did you go anywhere yesterday?”

Chaz shrugged then dipped his paintbrush once more. “I went to the store for my mom to pick up some bacon, milk and eggs.” Straightening, he stepped around Jonas and began working on another part of the fence.

Jonas glanced down at the asphalt and a heavy dose of anger washed over him at the sight of Chaz’s shoeprint perfectly stamped in white wet paint against the black drive.

“You should really be more careful,” Jonas said as he reached over and pulled the manila folder out from under Jeff’s arm.

“What are you talking abou—” Chaz cut himself off when his gaze landed on the perfect white shoeprints he’d made on the pavement. Lifting his shoe, he stared at the paint now coating the bottom. “Shit, my parents are going to freak at this mess.”

Jonas pulled out a photo of the impression they’d taken and tossed it on the ground next to the print on the asphalt. A kind of sad satisfaction swept through him that the photo was an exact match, all the way down to the nicked outer edge of the sole. “There’s one thing you’re definitely right about. Your parents are going to freak.”

Pointing to the photo, Jonas continued. “This impression was taken at the scene of a crime last night, next to an old barn on the Flying Wind’s property. The barn almost burned to the ground, Chaz. The fire spread to the house, engulfing the stairs. Had we not caught it in time, it probably would’ve burned the entire B&B, too. Bet you don’t know anything about that, do you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Despite his denial, when Chaz’s anxious gaze met his, Jonas noted how pale the teenager’s skin suddenly looked underneath the heavy sprinkle of freckles across his nose.

Retrieving the photo, Jonas slid it back inside the folder and handed the package to Jeff at the same time he pulled his handcuffs from the leather snap on his gun belt. He took a step forward and gripped Chaz’s wrist, slapping the handcuff on him.

“You have the right to remain silent.”

The kid’s strawberry-blond eyebrows rose and his eyes widened in fear as Jonas took the paintbrush out of his free hand and gave it to his deputy. Locking the second cuff on the boy’s other wrist, he said, “Jeff, please go get the Blackstones.”

As Jeff walked toward the house, Jonas continued with his Miranda warning. “Anything you say can and will be used against you—”

“Wait!” Chaz jerked around, his expression panicked. “You can’t arrest me. I didn’t mean to burn the house, just that old ratty barn they planned to tear down anyway.” He hung his head and continued in a lower voice, “I thought if the Flying Wind had lots of problems… I just wanted people to come to our B&B.”

Disappointment tensed Jonas’ shoulders and he shook his head at the kid’s illogical thinking. “You could’ve killed someone, Chaz.” Gripping the boy’s upper arm in a firm hold, he glanced up to see Roger and Joyce Blackstone running down the porch stairs toward them.

“Why in the world are you arresting our son?” Chaz’s father asked while his mother clung to her husband’s arm.

Jonas met their concerned gazes. “Let’s all head to the office and discuss it there.”

* * *

Jonas drove up to the Flying Wind B&B as the sun slid lower in the sky. He’d spent the entire day at the office filling out paperwork. Once he talked to the Nelsons, he could wrap up the Blackstone case completely.

Deidre’s mother and father came out on their front porch as he got out of his car.

Jonas walked up to the stairs and brushed the rim of his hat. “Evening, Glen and Dot. How was your trip?”

“Wonderful.” Dot’s skin was a little darker than when they’d left and there was a definite spark in her deep blue eyes.

Glen stepped down the stairs and shook Jonas’ hand. “We just got off the phone with the Blackstones. They were very shocked and apologetic about their son’s behavior. I wanted to talk to you about Chaz’s punishment, Sheriff.”

“I’m not done with my report—” Jonas cut himself off with a sigh, knowing small town ways of ignoring protocol were ingrained and the hardest to get past when it came to his job. Releasing Glen’s hand, he put his booted foot up on the burned bottom step and prepared to negotiate with the older couple. “He needs a good lickin’, in my opinion.”

Glen walked back up to stand beside his wife. Folding his arms, he set his mouth in a determined line. “I seem to remember a certain young cowboy who came to work at this B&B a little over ten years ago. From what I remember, his daddy said he was headstrong and had a wild streak. He hoped that by working for us, we’d straighten his son out.”

Jonas mirrored Glen’s pose, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared the older man down. Glen had been more than an employer. He’d been a mentor in many ways. “Are you telling me you don’t plan to press charges? Deidre could’ve been killed if the fire had continued to spread.”

Regret softened Glen’s stern features for a brief second. “No, we’re not pressing charges on the condition that Chaz makes up for what he’s done. We’re thankful you held up to your word and kept watch after the B&B and our daughter.”

Jonas could tell Glen wasn’t going to back down from his stance on the Chaz issue. Preparing himself to push for the harshest punishment he could get the Nelsons to agree to, he met Glen’s steady gaze. “I’m thinking community hours. Lots of community hours.” He glanced at the burned out barn and then shifted his line of sight to the step under his foot. “After he helps clean up this mess.”

“Agreed.” Glen nodded then added, “And we think he should have to help out at the station as well.”

Jonas stiffened. “The station?”

“That way you can keep an eye on him and point him in the right direction. I’m sure you could use an extra worker around the office,” Dot added, her short dark hair bobbing as she nodded her agreement.

The Nelsons had effectively backed him into a corner he saw no way around. Jonas rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder in frustration.

“What do you say, Jonas?”

When Glen called him by his first name instead of “sheriff”, the older man was definitely playing upon their longstanding friendship. Inclining his head in grudging approval, Jonas lowered his arms and relaxed his shoulders now that they’d come to an agreement.

Glen gave a big smile. “Good, glad we got that out of the way. I wanted to talk to you about purchasing a portion of your property to expand the B&B trails and possibly add a couple guest cabins in the future. My Deidre said there’s some fine land back there.”

If Glen bought some of his property, he should be able to afford to give Noah the price he wanted. His brother might not want the work of owning a ranch, but he’d want to bring his future children to visit the family ranch later in life. Jonas’s spirits soared.

Jonas nodded, but kept his expression neutral. “Let me talk to Noah and see if he’s agreeable.”

“Sounds good.” The older man crossed his arms, looking very proud of himself.

This was Deidre’s doin’. Jonas cast his gaze through the screen door. Why hadn’t she come out with her parents? “Can I speak to Deidre for a few minutes?”

“She left a half hour ago,” Dot said.

Surprise shot through him. Was helping him her parting gift? “Did she leave a note?”

Dot’s eyes lit up. “She did say, ‘Tell Jonas I’ll see him’.”

Dejection hit him hard, making him feel sick to his stomach. Deidre’s parents must’ve noticed his tanking mood because both Glen and Dot stared at him as if waiting for him to say something.

Jonas cleared his throat and touched his hat once more. “I’ll be in touch with you once I talk to Noah, and to set up a work schedule for Chaz.”

Glen smiled and wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We’re here when you’re ready. Have a great evening.”

* * *

Jonas headed up the long drive leading to his ranch, feeling as if a two hundred pound weight had fallen on his chest. When his gaze landed on a familiar blue compact rental car sitting in his driveway, his spirits rose. Deidre hadn’t left. Enjoying the euphoric feeling, he parked his car and turned off the engine.

Deidre sat on the top step of his porch, one leg crossed over the other as she leaned back on her arms. Her pink tank top pulled tight against her breasts while her sandaled foot swung casually underneath a long prairie skirt. She smiled and stood as he got out of the car and shut the door.