Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
S arah Sloan’s Review
Getting payback on childhood nemesis: 5 stars
Extremely enjoyable and so much fun. Great for a rainy afternoon or day when you have a few hours to kill. One warning…
Expect retribution.
How would he get her back?
There were just so many ways, and he had to choose the right one (or ten). He may have been ridiculously out of line when he mentioned locking her up, something he still couldn’t believe he’d done, but that’s exactly what he had the urge to do right now.
Because at this moment he was dusting.
Yes, decorated hero Cole Carter was dusting. Only there wasn’t actually any dust. And if that wasn’t fun enough, he was also polishing wood, making coffee and his personal favorite: cleaning the bathrooms, both the men’s and women’s.
How was he going to get her back?
He wasn’t one of those macho men who thought cleaning was only women’s work. He’d even dusted before. However, when he went to his job as a police officer, he didn’t expect his entire shift to be filled with such duties. During his father’s reign, the police department utilized a janitorial service, and he’d seen their supplies. Zoe confirmed none of the deputies scrubbed, washed or dusted. Ever. No, he wasn’t cleaning because it was necessary. It was a punishment.
Why did Sarah make him act this way? His parents had taught him to be a gentleman, and for the most part they’d been successful. He’d never talk to another lady like that, much less the sheriff and his boss, but somehow she made him lose control. She was lucky he hadn’t broken down and done exactly as he threatened.
She’d be lucky if he didn’t do it now.
She may be the sheriff, but he was no errand boy. He respected authority, but she needed to understand he wouldn’t sit back and take this. He tossed the duster on the table, grabbed his keys and strode to the dispatcher. “I need to find Sar– Sherriff Sloan. Do you know where she is?”
Mrs. Clemens, the gray-haired dispatcher, answered in her nasal, no-nonsense tone, “She’s been working a call at Mrs. Carmichael’s house. Little George is stuck in a tree again.
A kid was stuck in a tree, and she had him dusting? “She’s by herself?”
Mrs. Clemens shrugged. “She didn’t ask for help.”
Of course not. She’d rather put a kid at risk than ask him to do the job for which he’d been hired. No more. She was getting help, whether she wanted it or not. “I’m joining her,” he informed the dispatcher, and didn’t wait for a response as he strode out of the station and to his car.
He climbed into his police vehicle, slightly older than those in the big cities but well-maintained and clean. Turning on the sirens, he raced as quickly as he dared, the anticipation building. He’d missed this part of the service, rushing out to help people, to do good. Time to get back into action.
Sarah Sloan was not going to stand in his way.
“This is ridiculous! George, you come down right now. Your grandmama is worried about you.” Sarah put her hands on her hips as she glared at the pint-sized miscreant in the massive oak tree. He stuck his tongue out at her, then disappeared into the foliage. She lifted her hands. How could she be doing this again?
She turned to Mrs. Carmichael, a tiny woman who barely reached Sarah’s shoulders, and only because of her gigantic gray bun. She’d seen eighty long ago. “He doesn’t seem to want to come down.”
Sirens sounded in the distance, louder and louder. Sarah frowned. Hopefully, a true emergency wasn’t happening while she was dealing with this nonsense. George scampered deeper into the tree and out of sight as the patrol car screeched to a halt in the back alley. Sarah blinked as Cole Carter emerged from the vehicle. What was he doing here?
“Deputy Carter,” she greeted as he tramped over. “I’m surprised you’ve already finished your… duties.” She allowed herself a smile. She had only planned on giving him a few hours of the busy work, in what she admitted was a childish move. Today, she deserved it.
His eyes narrowed as he strode far too close, his tall form silhouetted against the blazing sun. His broad chest took up her vision, muscles shifting under the suit. She swallowed through a suddenly dry throat, as he said lowly so only she could hear, “I didn’t want to put your janitorial service out of business.”
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “There’s enough for you to share.”
“My place is where I’m needed.” He gave a brief nod to Mrs. Carmichael. “What seems to be the problem, ma’am? Is one of the grandkids in the tree?”
And just like that he took over. Sarah gritted her teeth. “Cole–”
“Oh yes!” Mrs. Carmichael cried. “My little grandbaby George got mad and climbed up the tree. Now he’s hiding under the leaves.”
“I’m dealing with it.” Sarah managed to keep her tone light for Mrs. Carmichael. “He’s fine. He’ll come down in a few hours when he’s good and ready.”
“You can’t be serious.” Cole’s expression hardened to steel. “You want her to sit and wait while a child is up in a tree?”
Sarah frowned. Mrs. Carmichael might refer to little George as her grandchild, but the title wasn’t quite accurate. Why was Cole so upset? Unless… “Cole, you do know George is a–”
“Is this how you protect the people of Harmony Creek?” Cole hissed, his voice a sharp dagger against the symphony of light breeze and fluttering trees. Sunlight flashed behind him, turning him to pitch darkness against its brilliant silhouette. “You do nothing when people need help?”
Her blood turned to lava. How dare he insinuate she didn’t care. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she hissed. “George is–”
“Fine? You may not have noticed, but he’s stuck high in the air. That’s not fine. I don’t care how many times he’s climbed the tree or how agile he is. It wouldn’t matter if he were a monkey – someone needs to scale the tree and get him. Why didn’t you call me, or better yet, the fire department? Someone needs to get him down now .”
“Fine!” She’d climbed up there just last week, but if it would stop his grumbling, she’d do it again. Only when she took her first step, something heated and firm grasped her waist. She gasped as Cole effortlessly brought her back.
And for just a moment, he didn’t let go.
All the air left the world. And really everything else. Just the two of them existed, locked in a battle they’d fought their entire lives. He was steel dominance, towering muscles painting a portrait of pure power. She was feminine power, yet softness as well, as they stood with only a sliver of air between them. Heat flared like a white-hot needle, turning the temperature to boiling. She could close that gap, press flush against every muscle, surrender to the desire blazing in his eyes. It was all she wanted, and all she couldn’t have.
He suddenly released her, and she stumbled back. Fought for the control he would dare steal.
“I didn’t suggest you climb it yourself.” His voice was firm yet challenging, dilated eyes proving she wasn’t the only one affected by their nearness. “If you got stuck, I’d have someone else to rescue. Calling for help would have been sufficient.”
Fire coursed through her. “You’re angry I didn’t take action, but I’m not allowed to actually do anything myself. As sheriff, it’s my job to call for help?”
“When it’s something better left for–” he halted, but it was too late. The implication was clear.
She folded her arms across her chest. “When it’s something better left for an alpha male like you?”
Wait, what?
Had she just called him an alpha male?
As in a powerful, control-seizing man who took what and who he wanted?
By the expression of the smug alpha male before her, she had indeed. No doubt, he wouldn’t let this go until the end of time. Maybe not even then.
She couldn’t decide whether to kiss him or arrest him. Maybe both. Now she spoke lowly so Ms. Carmichael wouldn’t hear, “You haven’t changed a bit, Cole Carter. You’re still the same judgmental ass you were in high school, always assuming the worst and never letting me explain. Since I’m too inept to do my job, why don’t you retrieve little George?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” he retorted.
Mrs. Carmichael clapped her hands in delight. “Wonderful! I’m sure George will come straight to you.”
Cole strode to the tree and put his foot on a thick branch. Grabbing a large limb, he smoothly hoisted himself up, then stepped onto a slightly thinner branch. The limbs grew narrower and narrower as he ascended, creaking precipitously with every step. Sarah frowned. She’d wanted to teach him a lesson, not get him hurt. “Listen, don’t climb up there. You don’t understand.”
“I understand you’d let a kid stay up there for hours without calling for help. I understand you’d rather get back at me than let me help. Don’t worry about me. Ten years in the military more than prepared me to climb a tree. At least I’m willing to do my job.”
He didn’t think she was doing her job? “Fine!” She stomped back to the sidewalk as he climbed higher and higher, bracing one branch after the next. He made it look as easy as climbing a jungle gym, all steel and muscle under his well-fitted uniform. And suddenly something far more dangerous than anger emerged.
Desire.
It hit suddenly and it hit strong, as identifiable as the scent of Mrs. Carmichael’s lilies. Desire for this powerful man, primitive and basic and completely out of her control. Of course, he was operating on a major lack of information, trying to be heroic. He’d even sought to protect her – too much – as he’d done since they were children.
She fought for strength, gripped it with everything she had. This was ridiculous. She refused to find the ultra-hot, super muscular Cole Carter either ultra-hot or super muscular, and that was final.
Her nemesis reached the top of the tree, next to where George lurked unseen, based on the rustling of the branches. Cole reached for the leaves when suddenly he stopped. A second passed, and then another and another, but he remained unmoving.
A full minute passed. “What’s he doing?” Mrs. Carmichael whispered.
Sarah frowned. “I don’t know. Cole?” she called up.
He didn’t respond.
Worry gnawed at her, but she pushed it away. Surely it was nothing. Maybe he saw George though the trees and realized his mistake. Perhaps he was fooling around, trying to unnerve her. Then he moved, giving her a glimpse of his expression and demolishing her theories at the same time.
Pure terror.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his blazing expression, fear as she’d never seen on the stalwart man. Not once, not even when they were children, had he shown such intense distress. Not when he’d shielded her from an attacking Rottweiler or when he’d broken his arm after a car accident. He’d never had a fear of heights, climbing trees twice as large without the slightest hesitation. Now he looked as if he were facing a dozen hungry lions.
“Cole?” she shouted again. He stared directly at her, utterly unseeing, adrift in a lost world. This was no joke or jest, no humorous prank. Whatever was happening was real, and it was serious. “Are you okay?’ When he didn’t respond again, concern turned to determination, and then to action. She lunged to the tree. “I’m coming up.”
Suddenly, the spell was broken, her words piercing its hold like a samurai’s sword. Cole blinked once, then twice, the fear vanishing as suddenly as it had come, disappearing first into a blank look and then one of intense yet unidentifiable emotion. “Don’t climb the tree,” he commanded. “You will not put yourself in danger.”
Relief trumped any frustration at his dictatorial behavior. She could finally breathe . “Are you all right? You stopped responding.”
“I’m fine,” he responded gruffly. He opened his mouth to say more, hardened, and closed it.
Sarah hesitated. He appeared as strong and in control as always. “Are you sure? I can climb up if you need. No matter what, you should come down now. I should’ve told you before, but George is a –”
She didn’t get to finish.
Because at that moment, George made his appearance.
George the monkey.
Sarah wasn’t sure who was more surprised – the human or the monkey. The monkey squealed and jumped forward – straight onto Cole. He landed on Cole’s head, his furry body covering his eyes. The would-be rescuer jumped back in shock, briefly losing hold of the tree.
Then… gravity.
Sarah bit back a scream as Cole slid a perilous journey to the distant ground, but just before he hit open air, he caught a branch. Holding himself with a single arm, he grasped the monkey with the other. He pried the squirming animal off his face and pulled, muscles bulging with Herculean effort. By sheer strength and determination, he ascended the branch, regaining control.
Relief hit for the second time in as many minutes, for this man who endlessly vexed her. The man who was now glaring at her with all the power of his emerald gaze. “What is this?” he roared.
She shouldn’t say it. Shouldn’t give in to puerile urges. But she simply couldn’t help it. “It’s a monkey.”
Cole’s expression turned thunderous.
“It’s George!” Mrs. Carmichael cried. “There you are, my naughty boy. Look, deputy, he likes you!”
Then Sarah’s mouth once more staged its verbal rebellion as she called up, “I think you have a new best friend.”
“A monkey.” His expression turned even darker. Then the animal stuck out its tongue…
And peed.
“Oh, George, no! You’ll get yourself dirty,” Mrs. Carmichael cried at the same time Sarah lost the last of her composure. She laughed and laughed and laughed some more, her hysterics rivalling the time she’d made good on her promise of putting a frog in Cole’s pudding.
Cole turned a very interesting shade of pink. Then a more interesting shade of red. He tucked the squirming animal under his arm, then used the other to rapidly descend the tree, jumping the last five feet. He completely ignored Sarah as he strode to Mrs. Carmichael. “I’m assuming this is your grandchild.” The monkey gave one last squeal, then leapt into the waiting arms of its grandmama.
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Carmichael gushed. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. You deserve a commendation. Sarah, you’ll give him a commendation, won’t you?”
Sarah bit her lip to stop her laughter. It didn’t work. “Of course. I’ll even get his uniform dry-cleaned.”
Cole didn’t say a word, just gazed at her with a thousand promises of imminent retribution. She wasn’t scared. She’d been on the receiving end of that glare many times before. Only he hadn’t been quite so large before…
Or so dangerous.
Oblivious to the silent exchange, Mrs. Carmichael coddled her charge. “It’s so frightening when little George gets stuck in a tree.”
Sarah looked down to hide her smile, as Cole pushed up his pee-stained sleeves. “I’m glad to be of service, ma’am, but there is one thing to consider. Don’t monkeys live in trees?”
“Ordinary monkeys might, but not my baby. No, George has his own queen size bed.”
“I see.” Cole’s lips twitched as the monkey hooted at him. Still, he kept calm, professional and kind with the elderly woman. “Perhaps he needs alone time in the tree. Instead of calling the police, maybe next time you could wait for him to come down on his own.”
Sarah waited for Mrs. Carmichael to turn him down, as she’d done every time she suggested such an obvious solution. Instead, the elderly lady nodded. “You may be right. Thank you, Deputy.”
Cole gave a genuine smile as Sarah stared. Despite almost falling out of a tree for a monkey (and then getting peed on by said monkey), he’d charmed the elderly woman. Cole was supposed to be the villain of the story.
He couldn’t possibly be the hero.
Now he stood tall, the only man to somehow look dignified smelling like eau de monkey pee. “If that’s all, the sheriff and I have a few things to discuss.” He gave her a sideways glare that promised he would not be nearly as gentle.
Her breath hitched. Would she receive one of Cole Carter’s hour-long lectures on being a responsible citizen (patent pending)? Would he express disappointment in her poor decisions? Once, she might have fled the attention, perhaps climbed her own tree, but no more. Her days of running from her problems – and Cole Carter – were over.
Mrs. Carmichael left, promising the monkey the entire banana inventory of Harmony Creek for his troubles. Cole turned to her, face to face, or rather face to one very expansive chest. “A monkey?” The words rumbled like a drum. “I climbed a tree for a monkey?”
Renewed laughter threatened, but she dampened it. She pursed her lips into a serious slash. “It would appear so.”
“I got peed on by a monkey.”
Sarah’s chest shook. “You sure did.”
“And you didn’t think it was a pertinent, significant or at least interesting fact to mention before I climbed the tree?”
The grin won. “I tried to tell you multiple times. Unfortunately, you were too busy explaining how I didn’t deserve my badge. Then when I tried to climb the tree myself, which I am capable of by the way, you manhandled me and insisted on going up yourself.”
For a second Cole looked uncomfortable, and Sarah resisted the urge to yell, “So there!” Instead, she placed her hands on her hips and, ignoring all likely consequences, remarked. “You really should take better care of your uniform.”
His expression would’ve made a Tyrannosaurus run. “Come with me.” Without waiting for an answer, he grasped her hand…
And took her with him.
Why didn’t she fight as he led her from the sidewalk to the back alley where they’d parked their cars? Perhaps she was shocked or flabbergasted or just really really wanted to see what he had planned. He passed his vehicle, stepping into a dark corner relatively hidden from view. The air was cooler and damper, with shadows hiding unseen corners. Now she forced him to slow. “Where are we going?”
He gazed at her darkly. “I’m taking you up on your offer, and I don’t want anyone to see.”
Her breath and steps hitched. Her offer? See what? Then he reached for the top button on his shirt, and the world stopped again.
Because he unfastened the button.
And the next.
And the next.
A sliver of tanned skin appeared. And the world remained stopped.
Breathe. She reminded herself once and then thrice before she managed it. “What are you doing?”
“Taking off my shirt.”
He undid another button, as Sarah’s heart raced the 100m at the Olympics, currently in first place. She had to stay calm, be reasonable, address him professionally and… Oh, forget it. “Listen, buddy, I don’t know what you think I offered, but you’re wrong. This was not part of any deal.”
“But you’re the one who suggested it.” Another button. “It’s too late to change your mind now.”
A fission of energy sizzled in the air, amidst the urge to see him without the shirt. And once the shirt was gone, it would only be natural to explore. Who was she kidding? If anyone was exploring, it would be him. “You can’t do this.”
Now it was his turn to smile. “Oh yeah? I think we’ve established that when it comes to physical prowess, I have the advantage.”
Yes, he did. Yet what she lacked in size, she made up for in sheer willpower. Her breath came rapid now, but like before, she wasn’t truly scared. This man would never force anything.
He wouldn’t have to.
“If you recall, you offered to take my uniform to the drycleaners. I’m taking you up on that offer.” He undid another button.
“Now listen here. If you think I’m going to–” His words finally reached her brain. “Wait, what?”
She looked at him. He looked at her.
And that’s when his revenge became clear. No one was going to explore anyone. He’d only made her think that. Instead, he was taking off his ruined shirt so she could clean it.
Damn.
She should’ve walked away, should’ve told him to clean it himself by jumping in the nearest river. Unfortunately, she stared instead. And stared and stared and stared some more.
Yup, it was that pathetic.
It was like her own personal peep show. Cole undid the last button, slowly revealing the toned skin underneath, the expansive chest leading to chiseled six-pack abs. The muscles were wide and defined, the skin smooth and tanned. Then… he removed his shirt.
“Whoa.”
Had she said that out loud? It hadn’t been a conscious decision, but 6’3” of solid steel hijacked her senses and her voice. She licked dry lips, tried not to imagine exactly what those muscles would feel like. She could reach into her memories, but ten years ago, he was still a kid. Now, he was every inch a man. “I get it. This is my punishment for the whole monkey thing.” Her voice came out breathless and light. “You’re trying to unbalance me.”
He gazed at her with perfect confidence, and heat crept up her neck. Now he commanded perfect control. “I’m not trying anything. I just don’t want any of the neighbors seeing me take off my uniform.” Amusement sharpened fathomless eyes. “Are you feeling unbalanced?”
As much as George the monkey when he’d found Mrs. Carmichael’s surprisingly robust supply of vodka. “Of course not,” she sniffed.
He stepped closer. “You look a little flushed.” His voice came out low and husky, and she fought the urge to retreat. She would never show weakness, not to him.
“I’m fine,” she said, but it wasn’t true. She wasn’t fine. Not when he was so near, not when his heat engulfed her, cast her far underneath his looming shadow. The scent of musk washed over her, drawing her to him like an aphrodisiac. She fought for strength as desire hit, the attraction to push into him, to feel all of him.
He moved closer.
She moved closer.
Then him.
And her again.
They met in the middle…
And kissed.
Resistance fled, reason and logic vanishing under the onslaught of desire for this powerful man. Cole immediately took control as he pulled her flush against a chest of pure muscle. She pressed closer, melding skin against skin, surrendering, demanding, giving and taking, an impossible juxtaposition of need and desire. He tasted delicious .
With a low growl, he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him as he kneaded her skin with confident motions, massaging tender limbs deep into submission. A fog entered her mind, stealing all thoughts and sabotaging good sense. She needed more…
A monkey screeched in the distance.
Reality slammed into her. What was he doing? What was she doing? What were they doing? She pulled back, gasping for breath. “What did we do?”
“This didn’t just happen,” she added.
“No, no, no,” she continued.
“Crap.”
Cole gazed at her with hooded eyes, a tangle of surprise, satisfaction and confusion, but most of all hunger. So much hunger. Yet then he straightened, the challenge in his eyes turning to pure determination. That was the minute she knew:
He wasn’t done.
Yet for now he remained as in control as always. “Not my typical reaction.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She fought for breath through vice-tightened lungs. “I mean, the kiss was fantastic.” What had she just admitted? “I mean it was fine, adequate even…”
He folded his arms across his chest.
Breathe. Focus. Do not ask for an encore. “It was a mistake. A big, big, big mistake. So I’m going to go, and I’ll even take that.” She reached for the uniform, but he moved at the same time. She lost her balance and fell…
Right into his naked chest.
She looked up into the brightest, greenest eyes she’d even seen. “Oh hell.”
She pressed her lips to his.
She may have started it, but he immediately stole control. They parried back and forth, fueling a passion that had boiled for a decade and beyond. It was outrageous, impossible and nonsensical, for Cole was and would always be more foe than friend. Yet the electric connection usurped her control and vanquished her discipline, the power he held over her. He snaked his arms around her as memories flooded her senses, remembrances of the one night she surrendered all. Then she remembered what happened after.
She broke away.
“This can’t happen.” She stepped back, away from the commanding man, away from the painful past, the illogical present, the impossible future. “Not now, not ever. Please don’t mention this to anyone, especially not me.” This time, she didn’t give him a chance to leave her. Instead, she dashed to her car, racing the sunlight and the wind. She jumped into the regulation vehicle, revved the engine far louder than necessary and then she was off, cutting a path through the sleepy streets of the town she grew up in, the town she now protected. Yet a stark truth belied her escape.
She couldn’t outrun Cole Carter.