Chapter 4 #2
A crackle on his radio slices through the spell. A woman’s voice is tight and urgent. “Sheriff, we’ve got a situation by the ticket booth. Couple of them are getting rowdy about Cooter.”
His eyes harden in an instant. The protector instinct switches on like a light and he pushes the button on his radio. “On my way.”
He leans in close and I swear the room tilts. Or maybe gravity is off. I don’t know. This man’s proximity is making me all loopy.
“I have to go, Ellie,” he says like it’s causing him pain.
He looks at me for a long moment and for a dizzying second, I think he’s going to kiss me. Instead, he takes a slow breath like he’s reining himself in, tips his head once, and turns toward the door.
“Wait,” I call out before it’s too late. “What’s your name?”
“Ryland,” he says with a sexy grin. “Ryland Grey.”
And just like that, he’s gone. I splash some cold water on my face and then clutch the sink, trying to pep talk my legs into working properly before I head outside.
There is indeed a commotion by the ticket booth. My heart pounds as I get closer to see.
A cluster of carnies is shouting at Emmanuel as he drags Cooter toward the patrol truck. Three officers, one female and two males, are trying to push back the wave of angry carnies.
Ryland marches toward them like a storm in a uniform.
“Back up!” he hollers, his voice thick with authority. “Anyone want to spend the night in a cell with your buddy, step right up.”
“He didn’t do nothin’!” an overweight guy in a dirty sleeveless tee shouts. “You can’t just take our guy!”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” Ryland growls. “This is my town. And that piece of shit assaulted a woman and attacked me with a knife. Now, you want to keep testing me, or you want to go home with all your teeth?”
The redneck carnie is already missing a bunch of teeth, so I guess that threat doesn’t carry much weight with him. He steps forward and two of his buddies flare out at his sides.
Sheriff Ryland doesn’t so much as blink.
Sleeveless then makes the worst decision of his life. He pokes Ryland’s massive chest with his index finger. “Fuck. You.”
In one breathless, fluid motion, Ryland grabs his finger, bends the guy’s wrist into an awkward angle, and slams him onto the ticket counter so hard it makes the whole booth rattle.
The crowd gasps.
Someone cheers. Another guy laughs.
One of the carnies backs up. He’s the smart one. The other one rushes forward, but the female cop is ready. She grabs a hold of him while Ryland snaps his cuffs around sleeveless’ wrists.
“Anyone else?” Ryland asks, looking almost bored as he drags the guy to the police truck.
Another carnie decides that he would in fact like to be “anyone else.” He pulls a knife and lunges.
I don’t even see what Ryland does—it’s like watching a storm shift. One second the guy is coming in hot, the next, Ryland has him face-down on the grass, knee pressed between his shoulder blades, and his arms pinned. The guy is completely disarmed and helpless.
My insides come alive as I watch him manhandle these criminals. Arousal courses through me like wildfire, catching me off guard.
He’s so hot.
I want to feel those hands on me like that—pinning me down, holding me in place. I want to feel him on top of me. I want to feel him in me.
The rest of the carnies disperse as Ryland and the other cops shove the ones that are under arrest into the police trucks.
The crowd is humming, excited from the show and looking proud of their local cops for keeping them safe. Some people are recording on their phones.
When it’s all done, they let out a collective cheer for their town’s police force.
I feel a wave of pride—I don’t know why—as I watch Ryland wave respectfully to his people.
He suddenly looks around like he’s searching for something or someone. I think it might be me, but for some reason, I hide behind the big guy beside me.
“Can we please go now?” Sloane says, tapping my shoulder and making me jump six inches, I get so startled. “Where have you been?”
“I… Uh…” I look back at Ryland, regretting that I hid, but the moment is over. He’s busy with the criminals.
Sloane grabs my wrist and starts pulling me back toward the stage. I reluctantly let her.
Mira and Tessa won’t even look at each other when I return. But I guess what else is new?
I don’t get involved. I don’t say a word.
I just grab my harp and roll it to the van.
My eyes immediately dart over to the flashing lights on the police trucks when we walk out from behind the stage.
I immediately find Ryland and keep my eyes on him as I walk across the festival, nearly rolling over a small dog with my giant harp case in the process.
“Sorry!” I say as I hurry along.
Ryland finishes talking to an officer and then lifts his head. His eyes land on mine, as if he knew, as if he felt me looking. His gaze fixates on me across the crowded field and he nods slowly.
My cheeks go red. My feet slow.
“Let’s go, Ellie!” Sloane says, huffing out a frustrated breath. “I don’t want to miss Thomas.”
I shake my head and hurry along, although I do sneak a few more peeks at the hot Sheriff.
He’s still in action, still giving orders, still radiating that alpha male energy, but his gaze is still locked on me.
Just… on me.
Everything inside me tilts toward him like a moon being pulled by immense gravity.
And my feet stop moving.
Sloane huffs out an angry breath, doubles back, grabs my arm, and pulls me the rest of the way to the van.
We turn the corner and I don’t see him again.
Tessa explodes when we get into the parking lot. “You bowed right in front of me like I wasn’t even there!”
“It’s called stagecraft, babe,” Mira fires back as she slides the van door open. “You should try it some time.”
“I’m playing the violin, Mira,” Tessa snaps as Sloane hurries us along, chucking the instrument cases into the trunk. “What the fuck do you expect me to do? Dance a jig?”
Normally, I’d be getting in the middle of this and trying to calm it down, but everything has changed. It feels like my whole world has shifted on its axis.
The girl who walked into this festival an hour ago isn’t the same girl now.
And Sheriff Mc Sexy Pants is the reason why.