“Well, I’d like to help if we can,” Clint told him.
“That’s what I said. Colt’s joining the chapter of the Church close by. That’s where Rudy is stationed and Perry was supposed to head it up.”
“So Dan Carter wouldn’t know that Perry was a shifter and Perry could still do his bidding.”
They stopped and watched as Perry and the last man came out in handcuffs.
“He bit me!” the man was crying. ”I’m going to turn all furry.”
Both Kurt and Clint laughed. Perry was glaring at him.
“It’s not going to work, is it?” Perry asked. He had a bandage over his arm that was already starting to bleed through.
“Nope,” Clint said with a grin.
Perry shook his head and his shoulders slumped.
Sheriff Webb came out of the house and strolled over to them.
“You need to pick up Deputy Gibson, too,” Clint informed him.
“Bobby?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, shit.” Sheriff Webb ran his hands roughly over his face.
Austin and Gage joined them.
“Thanks for the assist,” Clint said sincerely.
Gage laughed. “Damn, you could have at least waited for the rescue team. I never get to have any fun anymore.”
Austin slapped Gage on the back, chuckling. “I won’t mention that to Marisa.”
Gage mock growled and swiped his hand over the back of Austin’s head.
Everyone laughed as the stress of the day finally started to leave.
They might not have found Dan Carter, but they still had Colt inside. Perry and his cronies would be charged with kidnapping and assault. And everyone was safe and sound.
All in all, it had been a good day.
“I need to—”
“Go see your woman,” Kurt finished.
“I don’t want to hear this,” Sheriff Webb teased and walked away.
Clint just smiled after the man. He turned to Kurt and punched his best friend in the arm. “Driver! Get the car.”
Kurt flipped him off but led the way back to his truck.
* * * *
Sara was on pins and needles. Ryan had got word that Clint had been found and all was okay, but he hadn’t talked to Kurt or Clint.
Sara tried not to think about what Clint might have gone through. She suspected she would have to wait until the next day to see him and, while she understood, she really wanted run her hands over him and make sure he was uninjured.
She sighed and stood. They’d retired to the living room, but she just couldn’t settle. She grabbed the glasses they’d used earlier.
Ryan and Cecil were curled onto the couch together watching a movie, Cecil’s head on Ryan’s chest.
“Need help?” Ryan offered.
“Nah, I just…need to move.”
He nodded back. “I understand.”
She smiled a little as she went into the kitchen. She really liked Ryan and was glad he’d finally made a move on her friend.
She rinsed out the glasses and placed them in the dishwasher. She wiped down the already clean counter, her gaze travelling to the backyard.
So much had changed in the last several weeks. She found herself in a world she couldn’t have imagined. And Clint… She had strong feelings for Clint.
Movement outside the window caught her attention.
Clint walked slowly through the backyard towards the house.
She rushed to the door, hand already reaching to turn the deadbolt, then raced to him. He stopped at the edge of the deck and smiled at her. She paused, wanting to throw herself at him but didn’t know if he was hurt.
“Hi.”
“Hey, baby,” he greeted back.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I would be better if you came closer.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. He sighed at the first touch and his body relaxed.
He embraced her and she tilted her head so when his lips came down they shared a sweet kiss. Just one touch had her blood pumping and she moaned into his mouth.
He gripped the back of her shirt, pressing her closer. They broke away from each other and she stared up at him.
“I didn’t think I would see you tonight,” she told him.
“I couldn’t go home until I checked on you.”
She ran her hands over his chest. “So maybe you can stay? We were supposed to have dinner, but we could change that to breakfast if you want.”
He licked his lips. “I want.”
She rose up to her toes and kissed him again. This time he was the one who moaned.
“Come inside.”
She led him back to the door by his hand. Ryan stood in the kitchen waiting.
“Hey, man. I appreciate you staying with them,” Clint said.
“Oh, I didn’t mind one bit,” Ryan confessed with a huge grin.
“Cecil?”
Ryan nodded.
“Good for you.” Clint slapped Ryan on the back.
“I’m going to take him home. Give you two a little privacy,” Ryan told them and headed back to the living room to collect Cecil.
Clint kept his arm around her shoulders while they saw their friends off. Once the door closed, he turned her to face him.
She was surprised with the emotion that showed plainly on his face and in his eyes.
“I know we haven’t known each other long, but I have to confess I want see where this goes. I want to be with you,” he said.
She cupped his face. “I’ve already started to fall for you. I want to be with you too.”
“I accepted a permanent position here. I’ll be staying.”
“I’m glad.”
“There’s still a danger,” he said seriously. “A chapter of the Church is opening close to here. You could be in danger.”
“Clint—”
“You need to think about that,” he interrupted. “I may always be a target. That means you will be too if we are together.”
“I don’t have to think about it,” she said, curling her hands into his shirt. “My dad’s the sheriff. That already puts me in the line of fire. And I’m not willing to give you up because of what
might
happen.”
“I just want you to be sure.”
“Well then, I suspect that you will just have to keep a close eye on me. Maybe even…” She leaned close and rubbed against him suggestively.
“Oh yeah,” he murmured and brought his mouth down on hers.
This kiss was deeper than the others earlier. Passionate and seductive. Clint moved his hands around and down until he cupped her ass and raised her up.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her legs to his waist. Her back hit the door and she rocked into his hold. Clint’s mouth left hers and he nipped and sucked down her neck.
“Gonna mark you, make you mine,” he whispered.
“Yours,” she replied, grinding down. She was wet and ready.
He thrust up and she gasped.
“Take me upstairs,” she pleaded.
Without releasing her neck or letting her down, her carried her to the bedroom. Once there he fell onto the bed, Clint twisting at the last minute so he hit the bed, with her on top.
She straddled his waist and threw her hair back. He pushed up her shirt and clamped his lips down over her breast. She arched back, burying her hands in his hair.
They took their time undressing each other. Hands slid on sweaty skin, lips kissed, tongues tasted. It was slow and intense.
When she couldn’t stand another second, she rose and grasped his cock. She shifted into the right position and slowly started to lower herself. Clint gripped her hips hard and she loved that strength.
Once he was fully inside, she rocked a few times before she lifted up a little. She started to ride him with the same unhurried pace they’d used before.
Clint snapped his hips up and matched her rhythm. He panted under her, giving drawn-out moans of craving.
She sped up a little, slamming down and placing her hands over his well-defined chest for balance.
God, there had never been another time that making love had felt so good, so right.
Her hair fell into her face. It became a curtain around them as Clint grabbed her face to bring her down for an excited kiss.
Harder, faster, that was all she could think about. More, she needed more.
She didn’t realise she had spoken out loud until Clint flipped her back onto the mattress and plunged deep inside at a more rapid pace.
He thrust and drove into her while she cried out for him. Sweat dripped from his face to her neck. He pushed her knees farther up to her chest.
Yes! Yes
! She was almost there.
She sobbed out once she was pushed over the edge into completion. Clint snapped his hips a few more times before he roared out his own release.
He collapsed on top of her, panting.
Holy hell, that had been absolutely amazing. Yeah, there was no doubt she would be keeping him around for a very long time.
She whimpered while he began to pull out, wanting to keep the connection with him.
“We’re on the wrong side of the bed,” he commented with amusement.
“Humph,” she grunted. Like she really cared.
He laughed and gently lifted and moved her so her head was on a pillow and the sheet covered her. He settled next to her and wrapped one strong arm around her waist to pull her close.
She reached down and entwined their fingers together. Her eyes were still closed and she was sleepy—a wonderful, deep, contented exhaustion from spent passion.
Oh yeah. She planned on ending every night like this.
Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:
Eternal
Crissy Smith
Excerpt
Chapter One
Jo Black pulled into the barely lit parking lot of the club Eternal. It was just shy of midnight, and she had already hit two other clubs. She was on a mission that had yet to be fulfilled. She knew she couldn’t go home until it was.
She’d spent weeks preparing for tonight—what she would wear, how she would talk, and how she’d get him to leave with her. Her whole life came down to this one night, and she had to be ready. She could not fail in this mission.
Slowly, she walked towards the front door. Her black knee-high boots crunched on the gravel, making more noise than she’d expected. She stopped and took in her surroundings. A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she felt like she was being watched. She turned in a complete circle but saw no one and nothing moved. Shaking her head, she continued to the door.
She wore a short black skirt that didn’t come anywhere near her knees and red silk shirt that was cut low and tight, teasing with the flash of flesh when she moved. Her long brown hair was left loose, falling in silky strands down past the middle of her back. She would turn heads when she walked in, as she had when she’d entered the other two clubs earlier. But she knew what she wanted and would wait for him. Only he would do.
Opening the door, she blinked several times to adjust to the low light. The music wasn’t as loud as the other clubs she’d visited but it immediately caught her attention with its low tone and soft, inviting feel. It had a jazzy feel to it. She wasn’t sure what she was listening to, but she liked it. Someone cleared their throat to her left and she realised she had been staring into the club. The woman behind the stand smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Invitation please,” she said, holding out her hand.
Jo slid her hand down her leg to her boot and took out the black and silver invitation Roger had given her earlier that night. She handed it to the woman without saying a word. She wasn’t sure how Roger had gotten the invitation; she just hoped it worked and got her in.
The woman took her time, looking at the invitation, then at her. Nodding her head, she told Jo, “Go ahead.”
That was it. She was in.
This was one of the most exclusive clubs in town and Jo Black had just gotten through the door. A quick jolt of thrill went through her. This was it, she could feel it.
She nodded and smiled at the bouncer who stood next to the stand. She hadn’t noticed him before. He seemed to have shifted out of the shadows.
As he let her pass, she realised the club was far nicer than she expected. There were no strobe lights like there were in most clubs. This club was dark, very dark, with only a few lamps on the walls around the booths. She could see the outline of bodies sitting at tables or booths close to one another.
As she walked closer into the middle of the club, she watched the dance floor where people swayed slowly against one another. This wasn’t what she was used to. She swallowed hard, knowing that, if this was the place, she was way out of her league.
Ignoring the feeling of dread and fear that curled in her stomach, she headed to the bar. She took a seat on one of the empty bar stools and glanced around. There were only five other stools occupied, all men and all looking at her. She didn’t smile at them, didn’t bat her eyes, or give a flirty look. Roger had told her to sit. Sit and wait, and
he
would find her.
She had asked what to do if no one approached her, but Roger was convinced it would be less than an hour. She was afraid she wouldn’t recognise him and an innocent would get hurt, but Roger just waved that off.
“He’ll come to you, Jo. He won’t be able to resist,” Roger had told her.
She wasn’t sure what that meant exactly but she had to trust that Roger knew what he was talking about. She had come this far and it was too late to back out now.
Jo jumped when the bartender suddenly appeared in front of her. The people who worked around here kept managing to surprise her as if they appeared from nowhere. Which played into everything she knew about the undead. She wondered if they did it on purpose.
He smiled, showing perfectly white, straight, even teeth, and she relaxed. “So sorry,
chére
, didn’t mean to give you a start. Name’s Logan and what can I get you?”
It took her a minute to put together everything he said through his thick southern accent, but once she did, it made her smile.
“Hello. May I have a glass of Chardonnay please?”
Smiling down at her, he winked. “Coming right up.”
Jo watched as he poured her drink. He was young, probably in his mid-twenties, with blond hair and blue eyes. His southern accent had been thick and sweet, and she liked him almost immediately but decided to be cautious. Roger had told her that the undead could put glamour on themselves and her, making her do their bidding. Somehow she knew deep down that Logan wasn’t one of the monsters. It was a feeling she had to trust. Most of her life, she had been able to read others well. Her sister had even joked that it was a gift. Jo shook her head to dissolve any thoughts of her sister. She couldn’t dwell on that. She had a job to do.