TroubleinChaps (6 page)

And if he was honest, the bet was more about keeping her there than the sex. Sure, he wanted her.
Painfully.
But the idea of her leaving brought another kind of pain, a kind he wasn’t familiar with and wasn’t sure he could handle.

Her mouth lifted in a sexy smirk that had his blood racing. She sauntered over to a table with her friends and took a seat with her back to him. Cliff turned back around, watching Sam, whose face was split with a smile. No doubt for the lovely Lola.

“Well, I better hit the road,” Cliff announced.
“Got some things to take care of.”

Sam nodded as Cliff stood. “Catch you later.”

“Yeah, later.”
Cliff went to the counter, paid for breakfast then headed for the door, making sure to pass by Roxie’s table. “Ladies,” he nodded and smiled.

Emily and Lola wished him a good day. Roxie just sat there with that fox in the chicken coop smile on her face. Cliff returned the smile, but once outside blew out his breath. He’d lay money she had something cooking. He could almost see it in her eyes.

But what?

He shrugged off the question and headed for his truck. Sooner or later, the answer to that and hopefully many other questions would come to light. Until then, he was going to give some thought on how to up his odds in the bet.

Chapter Five

Saturday nights usually pulled a full house at Chaps, but this Saturday the place was slammed.
Standing room only.
Roxie had been on her feet for three straight hours, waiting tables, and it was getting busier by the moment.

She delivered a round of drinks to one table and stepped up to another, one occupied by four rodeo cowboys in town for the night on their way home. They’d been drinking steadily for two hours and with each drink, one of them got a bit louder and more obnoxious. She wondered if it wasn’t about time to cut him off, but figured she’d keep an eye on him and let Beckett know if he got out of hand.

“Another round, boys?”

“
Ain’t
no
boys here, sweet
thang
,” the obnoxious one boasted loudly and made a grab for her hand.

Roxie dodged his attempt and moved a step away. “Slow down there, cowboy. You know the rules. You can look but you can’t touch.”

“Ta hell with that.” He stood and started for her. “
You been
teasing me all night, baby, and damned if I’m in the waiting mood. Get your sweet ass over here and give Danny boy a taste.”

“Not gonna happen,” she retorted, backing away.

“Oh
it’s
gonna happen.”

Roxie set her tray down on the table beside her, ignoring the curious looks and comments from the people seated there. She kept her eyes on the drunk, Danny.

“You need to sit back down.”

“Rather have you
sit
on my face.”

She grimaced and reached for one of the empty beer bottles on the tray as Danny moved in on her. “You really need to step back,” she warned.

He laughed and grabbed her arm. Just as he started to yank her close, she raised the bottle and swung.
And met with empty air.
Danny boy was being pulled back like an elastic band that had been stretched to its limits and released.

Beckett had hold of him. And from the look on Beckett’s face, the man was soon to be toast. Roxie started after him as he pulled the drunk along toward the door. “Beckett!”

Her call caused him to pause and when he did, the drunk took a swing. The blow clipped Cliff on the side on his chin and did little more than snap his head to one side before he retaliated.

One punch and the drunk
was
flailing backwards, arms waving and spit flying. Two seconds later, he hit the floor. Two seconds of stunned silence filled the bar then the drunk’s friends jumped up and headed toward Cliff.

Roxie hurled the bottle in her hand, catching one of the men in the side of the head. He stumbled into a table, arms out, reaching for support and managed to overturn the table, spilling beer on two women. Their companions took exception to that and went for the man.

Meanwhile, the remaining two cowboys were closing in on Cliff. Roxie broke out into a run, headed straight for them, but before she could reach them all hell broke loose. The men were attacked by patrons of the bar.

It was ten seconds of mayhem before a boom caused everyone to freeze. The sheriff, Sam, stood in the middle of the room, his gun raised toward the ceiling.

“Time for everyone to settle down.”

Roxie’s eyes sought out Lola, who sat beaming at Sam. Roxie couldn’t say she blamed her. He was quite a sight. Like something out of an old western. His stance clearly said “Don’t fuck with me,” and his eyes gleamed with what might be anticipation that someone would.

He marched over to the two drunks still standing. “Think you better come with me, boys.”

Cliff hauled the man he’d punched to his feet and had a firm grip on his arm. Roxie ran over to him but he ignored her and shoved the man toward the door. She started to follow but a big hand wrapped around her arm and stayed her. Roxie whirled and looked up into Wyatt’s face.

“We got this,” he said quietly.

“Fine.”

Wyatt released her and joined Beckett, stopping long enough to pick up the last unconscious man from the floor. Wyatt slung the man over his shoulder like a sack of seed and followed Cliff outside.

Roxie turned and almost ran over Emily. “Are you okay?” Emily asked.

“Yeah, fine.”

“Oh? Then why are you biting my head off?”

“Because… because I had it under control.”

Lola appeared beside her. “Wasn’t that something? The way Cliff grabbed that guy and pulled him off you and the way Sam just took over and…”

“And Wyatt heaving that guy over his should like it was nothing,” Emily added.

“Yeah, a real Hallmark moment,” Roxie groused. Yes, it had been something to see, but she didn’t want to be impressed with the way Cliff had rushed to her defense.

“What crawled up your ass?” Lola asked.

“I didn’t need any help!”

Lola looked from her to Emily and Emily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we know you’re a big bad-ass,
Rox
, and could have kicked the guy’s butt, but this
is
Cliff’s bar and he was trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need his protection!”

“Well maybe he didn’t know that,” Lola offered.

“Whatever.” Roxie didn’t want to listen to reason. She knew Cliff was within his rights to act as he did and it was his place to make sure things didn’t get out of hand.

But damn it all, she didn’t want to remember the sudden thrill of seeing fury blaze in his eyes at having the man touch her. Didn’t want to get that hot little knot of excitement at seeing him be the alpha male and go all macho.

She didn’t want anything to make her want him more. And the only way to keep from thinking about those things was to be mad. So she hung on to the mad like a lifeline even though she knew it was unreasonable.

“I have to get back to work.”

Before Emily or Lola could respond, she stomped over to the bar. Two seconds later a hand closed around her arm. She jerked around a split second before Beckett started pulling her away from the bar.

“Come on.”

“I’m working,” she said as she jerked free.

“In the office.
Now.”

Something in his eyes had her biting down on the urge to argue. She tossed her hair and marched through the kitchen to the back of the building where his office was located. He entered behind her and slammed the door.

“What the hell were you thinking?” His voice was loud and angry enough to have her hackles rise.

“Excuse me?” She arched her eyebrows haughtily.

“You heard me.
Why didn’t you call me if that guy was giving you trouble?”

“It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

“With a beer bottle?
What were you planning to do? Come upside his head with it?”

“If necessary.”

“Smart, real smart.”
The mocking tone of his voice jacked her anger higher.

“Fuck you, Beckett!”

He grinned at her and it wasn’t a friendly sort of expression. More like a predator closing in on its prey. “You don’t want to start up with me, sugar.”

Roxie snorted. “Oh, now I’m scared.”

Cliff crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. “What’s your problem?”

“You!”

“Me? All I did was
protect
what’s mine.”

That one word sent a bolt of something purely female and entirely terrifying through her. But she wasn’t about to succumb to either. “I’m not yours!”

“The bar is. And if you’d hit him you could’ve been charged with assault.”

“It would’ve been self defense!”

“Maybe.
But you were itching to do it.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did.” His voice softened as he regarded here. “You’ve been spoiling for a fight and that poor jackass seemed like a likely target.”

“That’s bullshit. I have not been spoiling for a fight.”

“Oh yeah, you have.”

“Fuck you.” There was no way in hell she’d ever admit he was right. It wasn’t that she was spoiling for a fight, it was more that she felt as if a pressure cooker that was about to blow. Cliff had gotten to her on more than one level and the stress was starting to take its toll.

“You making that a formal offer, honey?” His tone was teasing, but there was nothing of a jest in his eyes.

Roxie went for the door knob, but Cliff grabbed her wrist. “Let go of me,” she warned.

“Or?”

Roxie hissed and raised her hand to hit him, only to have him catch her fist before it made contact. She tore free and backed away, stopping only when her backside bumped into his desk.

Cliff stalked over to her, putting his hands on the desk on either side of her.

“Or?” he asked again.

“Move, Beckett.”

“Or?”
The heat was back in his eyes.

“Or we’re gonna have a big problem.”

“Oh we already have a problem, Roxie.

“Do we?” Her eyes met his and held. “And what might that be?”

“This.”

At the same moment the word came from his lips, he reached behind her with his left arm and pulled her against him. Her breath came out in a small rush a moment before his lips closed on hers.

Her mind screamed for her to push him away. This was not a good idea. Not safe. But her treacherous body betrayed her. As Cliff’s arm tightened around her, she pressed into him, not only accepting the kiss but returning it.

It was a lusty battle of tongues and teeth, hands gripping and roving, bodies straining into one another. Cliff growled in protest when she pushed back from him.

“Don’t stop now, honey.”

She shook her head and blew out her breath. She couldn’t play this game. Not with him. It was too costly and she couldn’t take the strain of it. “Look, Beckett, I need to be straight with you.”

He cocked his head slightly to one side. “I’m listening.”

“Okay, so here’s the deal.” She took a breath and steeled herself. “You affect me like a drug and right now there’s nothing I want more than to get you out of those clothes and inside me. But—“

She raised both hands and pressed them against his chest when he moved to pull her back to him. “But—I work for you and as much as I want you, having you is going to complicate my life in a way I can’t handle. And before you say anything, this has nothing to do with our bet.”

“No problem. You’re fired.”

“But—” She kept the pressure on his chest, looking up at him. She couldn’t tell if he meant it. What she could tell was that he wanted her. Whatever it was between them wasn’t cooling off. It got hotter every day and chances were the only way to put out that fire was to give in to it.

And if she was honest, it was what she wanted. Sure, it’d mean she’d be stuck in Mesa Blanco longer than she planned, but like Emily had reminded her just the day
before,
it wasn’t as if any of them had anywhere to go.

Besides, she was tired of battling it. “What the fuck.”

With that, she fisted his shirt in both hands and yanked him to her. And in that moment civility vanished.

There was nothing gentle in his lips as they staked a claim on hers. Teeth nipped and tongues clashed. Breath came hard and fast. Cliff gave no care to the damage to her clothing as he tugged and tore anything that barred him hands from her flesh. His hand moved between her legs to the wetness that clearly spelled her desire.

She was no less impatient as she stripped his shirt off then started on his jeans. By the time his Levis were bunched around his knees, he was past the point of caring about anything except sinking deep inside the liquid silk between her legs that was becoming
more wet
with each stroke of his fingers.

Roxie tore free from his mouth as his fingers stroked inside her faster. Her fingers dug into the top of his shoulders, her breath a series of pants. She was so close.

“Let it go, baby.”

His lusty croon was all that was needed to send her tumbling over the edge. Her sex clenched to the accompaniment of a low throaty moan she made no attempt to silence.

“In me,” she panted before the climax could subside.

The smile he flashed her was all the time it took for him to lift her up, supporting her with his hands firm on her ass. Roxie wound her legs around him and in one fluid motion, he slid inside.

A quick “
ahh
” went along with the momentary flash of pain. It’d been a while since she’d had a man and it took her body a few seconds to begin to adjust to the sensation of being so full.

A few seconds was all she allowed. Hanging onto his shoulders, she bucked against him, the motion driving him deeper. Cliff’s breath hissed, his eyes locked onto hers and everything around them vanished.

She couldn’t explain it any other way. Not that it mattered. All that mattered was the feel of him inside her and the hard, driving rhythm of his body. How perfect it would have been if this were more than just physical. She hated that weak part of herself that longed for more and reminded
herself
that this was all she could ever have.