The Deputies: 3 Novella Box Set (27 page)

Drake couldn’t help but laugh at her absolutely delighted expression. “It’s an interesting name. I didn’t realize that baking cakes was a man’s world.”

“It’s a man’s world in most things,” she replied tartly, turning her back to him to continue handing out water bottles. “Luckily we women know how to navigate it.”

It wasn’t long after that Stanley got the air conditioning installed and everyone breathed a little easier as the room cooled. Drake drank the last of his latest water bottle and let his gaze wander to where Tori was talking to her brother John who had just arrived. Drake liked the way she was so animated when she spoke. She always seemed to be wearing a smile and she waved her hands when she talked as if she couldn’t wait to get out the next word.

She wasn’t really his type though. He preferred big-boobed blondes who let him be in charge and make the decisions. After a long day at work, he wasn’t looking for a woman to stimulate him intellectually. If he wanted that, he’d watch PBS.

The women he dated liked to have fun and didn’t mind if he took the lead. He decided on the restaurant or the movie. He took the initiative in bed. It was a formula that had served him well in his adult life. Sometimes he was bored with the ladies he dated but he hadn’t met one that made him sit up and take notice.

Victoria was the first female that had grabbed his attention and hadn’t let go. She might not be blonde but she had a figure on her that would make a truck jump a curb.

She was just back in town so she probably wasn’t seeing anyone yet. It wouldn’t hurt anything to just go out on a date with her. Maybe get naked and have some rowdy sex at the end of the evening. They were both reasonably attractive adults and the good Lord knew Drake had a healthy sexual appetite. Maybe the sweet little baker did too.

Drake waited until most of the people had drifted away one by one until it was just himself, Logan, Tori, and John. The room was finally ready, smelling like bleach and looking completely different than it had several hours ago. A dumpster outside the back door was filled with the store’s prior contents.

“Logan?” Drake nudged his boss, who was wiping off his forehead with a handkerchief. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure. What do you need?” Logan nodded and stuffed the white linen square back in his pocket. “Damn, this makes law enforcement work feel easy. I must be getting old.”

“Married life has made you soft,” Drake teased. “Us single guys aren’t whining.”

Logan quirked an eyebrow and gave a soft chuckle. “Wouldn’t trade married life for the world. I may spend more time in bed, but that doesn’t mean I’m getting any rest.”

The way Ava and Logan looked at each other, Drake didn’t doubt his boss’s words.

“Speaking of bed and not getting any rest, I was hoping you could distract John for a few minutes.”

Logan’s face split into a grin. “Going to ask out Tori? You have good taste. She’s a cutie, that’s for sure. Not your usual type, but a man needs to make an exception every now and then.”

“If I can get five minutes alone with her I will. I was thinking it would be the neighborly thing to do. She’s just back in town and all.” Drake shrugged as if he didn’t give a damn whether she said yes or no.

Logan wasn’t fooled in the least.

“You’re a regular Welcome Wagon, Drake. Just don’t piss off her brother. He might not take kindly to you trying to get into his little sister’s panties.”

Drake wasn’t planning on discussing it with John. Ever.

“So you’ll help me?”

“I will.” Logan nodded toward the siblings deep in conversation. “John complained to me about a month ago about kids hanging out by his store. We increased foot patrols there and it seems to have solved itself. I’ll just double check that there are no more issues.”

Drake himself knew there weren’t any more incidents because he had followed up with John not more than ten days ago. But he wasn’t going to stop Logan. John would think it was the sheriff’s fanatical attention to detail and not a ruse to pull him from his sister’s side.

Before Drake could count to ten Logan had John off in a corner of the building. Tori had begun picking up a few stray plastic cups and tossing them into the large trash can in the middle of the room. He stepped into her line of vision, suddenly not feeling as confident with a woman as he normally did.

Other than a few visits here and there, Tori had spent the last several years in New York City. She’d probably dated rich, sophisticated businessmen who knew what fork to use and what wine to order. He was just a hayseed cowboy who wore a badge and drank American beer.

His heart pounded a little faster and his palms were damp, and it had nothing to do with the heat. He was acting as if he’d never asked out a woman before. Shit.

“Hi.” Sparkling opener. Tori was clearly bowled over by his charm. Not.

“Hi.” Tori took a step closer to him and tilted her head up so she could look directly into his eyes. Her clear direct gaze did nothing to calm the march of his heart. “Are you heading out?”

He nodded, working up his courage. “I was wondering if maybe you might like to have dinner one night.”

Her eyes widened and for a moment he thought he saw excitement in those whiskey-colored depths. He must have been mistaken though, as her gaze betrayed nothing but bland interest. That was a far cry from happiness so he was shocked when she nodded. “Um, sure. That would be nice. When?”

For a second he didn’t realize she’d said yes. When it finally sank in he had to force his buzzing brain to function.

“Saturday night? Pick you up about seven? Are you staying with your parents?”

Tori shook her head. “Saturday sounds fine but I live on my own. I have an apartment. Corville Carriage House. Building J, number 202.”

“Got it. I’ll see you then.”

Drake turned on his heel and got out of the building before she changed her mind. There was something soft but confident about her. She was also one of the sexiest women he’d been around in a long while. Her body promised sinful pleasure and he’d never been one to turn his back on some naughty fun.

He couldn’t wait to get her in bed.

Chapter Three

“H
e actually seemed a little unsure when he asked me out.” Tori was getting dressed for her date with Drake and Kasi was keeping her company. Her friend lived in the apartment across the hall and in the last few days they’d spent a lot of time together. It felt good to be home where Tori felt so accepted and loved.

“He doesn’t know you’ve been carrying a torch for him all these years,” Kasi pointed out. “He probably thought you might turn him down.”

“Fat chance of that.” Tori tied the halter straps of her yellow sundress. The heat wave hadn’t abated in the least and it was a warm night. “You would have been proud of me though. I walked right up to him and talked.”

“You rubbed a bottle of water on your skin and bent over so he could see your cleavage. You might as well have put out an ‘open for business’ sign.”

“You should have seen his expression when I did that. His jaw actually went slack. It worked and that’s all that’s important. He asked me out.” Tori felt a little smug about the whole situation. Things with Drake were definitely on the right track.

“Do you know where he’s taking you?” Kasi perused the contents of Tori’s closet, finally pulling a pink blouse from its depths. “Can I borrow this? I love the color.”

Kasi loved pastels but Tori loved bright colors. “You can have it.” She shuddered. “That was a gift from a guy I dated. I only wore it once. I look ridiculous in it. You on the other hand will look good.”

Kasi’s delicate dark blonde beauty was perfect for the frilly pink and lace. The ruffles made Tori look like a bloated elephant.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Kasi slipped the shirt from its hanger. “I love your clothes. They’re so sophisticated compared to mine. My clothes say ‘small town’.”

“My clothes say ‘I work for a living’.” Tori laughed and then jumped at the ringing of the doorbell. “Shit, that’s him. How do I look?”

Tori swiped some lip gloss on her mouth and stood up straight for Kasi’s inspection.

“Like a million bucks, but completely not his type. Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to call it off.”

The doorbell rang again and Tori’s heart accelerated in her chest. “Actually I think it is too late. Lock up when you leave, okay?”

They’d already discussed Kasi staying out of sight when Drake arrived. “I will. Have fun, and Tori…?” There was an exasperated tone to Kasi’s voice. “He’s not a god. He is not perfect. He’s just a guy. Don’t treat him like he’s special. The fact is you’re too good for him.”

Tori hurried toward the door. “Don’t worry. I’ll try and act cool.”

She wouldn’t feel it though. Already she was starting to heat up at just the mere thought of kissing Drake again.

Their date was a double feature at the drive-in about twenty miles from town. The bill featured two of Hitchcock’s classics –
Rear Window
and
Vertigo
– and Tori had to admire Drake’s taste in cinema.

He had parked his massive truck in the back row and reached into the extended cab for a small cooler filled with water and soda. For dinner, he had picked up take out from the local pizza place and they’d munched their way through a large with extra cheese as Jimmy Stewart followed Kim Novak around San Francisco.

“Can I get you another soda?” Drake flipped open the cooler in the back seat, his body brushing hers as he leaned over. Now that dinner was done, Tori was becoming increasingly nervous. She hadn’t expected him to bring her to the “passion pit”, as it had been known in high school. It felt intimate sitting here in the front of his truck, the only light coming from the flickering movie screen.

His body was mere inches from her own and this was a million times different than sitting in a movie theatre with him. His tinted side windows ensured a certain amount of privacy but she’d do well to remember that it was only an illusion. Anyone walking by could see into the truck if they really tried.

Tori shook her half empty can before placing it back into the cup holder. “I’m good.” She plucked at the hem of her dress and tried to make conversation. He didn’t seem to be enjoying the movie.

“Are you a big Hitchcock fan? There was a theatre on the west side that showed classic movie retrospectives. My friends and I would go as often as we could.”

Drake turned sideways on the seat so he was looking directly at her. “Not really. I’ve seen Psycho but that’s about it. It seemed like something you might like. Honestly I wasn’t sure where to take you since you’ve been living in New York and all. I figured dinner at the steak house and then bingo at the church would bore you.”

“I like bingo. I’m a small town girl at heart.” She wanted to say he could have asked her but it would come out sounding snarky and that wasn’t how she meant it at all. “Where else do you go on a date?”

“The roadhouse is popular.” Drake shrugged and glanced back at the screen for a moment. “The lake for a picnic when the weather’s good. The movie theatre in Springwood when it’s cold outside or the sports bar to watch a game.”

“I haven’t been to the lake in years. Last time I went I think was graduation night.”

Drake chuckled, the sound deep and warm. “I have good memories of that evening. What I remember of it, anyway. Some of it is foggy.”

Tori remembered that night as well. He’d been making out with Carlene Thorne on a blanket in between beers.

“Whatever happened to Carlene?” The question was out before she could stop it. Jealousy was a nasty bitch and Tori didn’t like the feeling one bit.

Drake stroked his chin and grinned. “Married and a couple of kids, last I heard. She hasn’t kept in touch all these years. I don’t think I was her favorite person after that night.”

“What did you do?” Tori asked, taking a sip from her soda can and starting to relax. Talking to Drake wasn’t that difficult after all.

“I’m not proud of it, but I ended up making out with Carlene’s best friend, Lucy Viola.” Drake whistled and shook his head. “Shit, Carlene was madder than a wet hen. I was so damn drunk that night I would have kissed Frankenstein’s monster.”