Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
CASH
Iknew the second Kindred stepped out of that restaurant she was up to something.
Did she really think she was being sneaky?
Not only that, but I’m starting to think there can only be one reason she sneaks around.
She wants me to chase. I should start listening to her silent cues and say, "Fuck it.
" Let all the intrusive thoughts I have take over.
When I pull into The Frosty Mug’s parking lot, I see Travis standing at the back door with a phone to his head and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He and I need to have a word.
"Evening," I say, getting his attention. He gives me a chin nod.
"Yeah, I'll call you later." He ends the call, sliding the phone into his back pocket. "You're going to scare off the tourists from coming in."
"You're pretty packed already. What's the occupancy code for this building? I'd guess around sixty."
"Sixty-one." He drops his cigarette, stepping on it with his boot. That I can't say shit about. It's still his property, but there are other rules I can press on. "Don't be a dick."
"You let her drive your truck."
"And?"
I stare at him. He knows what I mean. Everyone in this town knows how he is about that truck. I don’t get it. It's an eyesore and useless if you ask me. But he treats it as a prized possession.
“It's Kindred. Name a person in this town that wouldn't toss her their keys." I can't argue with that. "I mean, I wouldn't at this moment."
"How many drinks has she had so far?"
"She has had two drinks here and one shot with Shelly." That's five drinks and one shot total. "Are you coming in?" He opens the back door for me.
"Yeah."
"At least you're not in uniform." I never am. "Hey." His hand comes down on my chest. It's not aggressive. Travis is a big guy, but I'm bigger. I still follow the same fitness routine I had as a Ranger. It helps to alleviate the buildup of aggression I have been experiencing lately.
"What?"
He smirks. "I might have done that shit on purpose. Thanks for bringing it back for me."
"On purpose?"
He shrugs, removing his hand. "You know I'm gay." I thought he was, but Kindred is different. I'd do all kinds of shit for her that I never would have before and not bat an eye about it. He chuckles. "You really do think she hung the moon." He shakes his head. "In you go, and don't break shit."
"I'm the sheriff."
"And I'm gay, but we still need to have this conversation for some reason."
He's got me there.
I have to shift around people to even get down the hallway.
This place is busier than ever, but I know Kindred is a big part of that.
It doesn’t take me a half second to see her standing on the small stage they pulled out for karaoke.
She’s up there with the whole sewing group, the Knotty Knitters, singing backup completely off-tune.
Kindred’s cheeks are flushed, and she’s let her hair down from the clip she had it in. Her eye makeup is smudged in the corner of her eyes. In my fantasies, that’s precisely how she looks waking up in bed next to me. A little untamed.
Kindred might get up to her antics and be silly, but when it comes to her appearance, she is always well put together without a hair out of place. She loves all that girly shit, and now I find I’m into it too.
It’s taking all my willpower to let her finish the song because that dress she’d been hiding under her coat is new.
It has to be. Red material clings tightly to her body.
The skirt hits mid-thigh, letting you see every inch of those damn boots.
With each sway of her hips, it lifts, revealing more of her silky legs.
That dress should be illegal or at least confined to be worn only at home.
The top of the dress has a deep V showing off her tits more than I have ever seen before. Now I know why Travis told me not to break shit. The whole bar has their attention on the stage. It takes every ounce of restraint I have not to run onto that stage and block her from view.
Kindred turns her head slightly, our eyes connecting.
She stops singing, and her whole face lights up, giving me a sweet smile.
It hits me so hard I almost take a step back.
That’s how I always want her expression to be when she spots me across the room.
I can’t help but return it, giving her a nod and smile back.
I grit my teeth when her eyes drop away from me and I watch the smile drop away, her brows pulling together. I go to follow her line of sight to see what’s bothering her so I can take care of it when a hand grips my shoulder, giving a squeeze to get my attention.
“Beckett.” I suspected that she’d be here. Did Kindred invite her? I can’t be real sure. I didn’t think she was a fan, but Kindred is a softy to people even when she shouldn’t be.
“We’re off-duty. Call me Katie.”
"I'm always on duty," I tell her, making that clear. I have no plans to buddy up with the new deputy. I actually got her paperwork this morning and only finished reading all of it an hour ago.
I had time to kill while Kindred was eating and I was waiting for her to sneak out.
I learned that Beckett here is on a probationary period.
I can always send her back and request a new deputy if it isn't a fit.
I don't give a flying fuck if she fits with me at the station. It’s the town that she needs to fit with.
"Right, I was actually—" I don't know if Beckett trails off or I miss what she says because a ball of energy launches herself at me. I wrap my arms around Kindred and catch her easily. She does the same, locking her arms together around my neck, her tits pressing into me.
"Higher," she orders, bouncing her body. I lift her more, bringing her eye level with me.
"You—" Kindred presses her mouth to mine, and whatever I was going to say is lost.
Her lips are even softer than I ever could’ve imagined. The taste of lemon and alcohol lingers on them. I kiss her back the best I can. I have no clue what I’m doing, but from the soft moans escaping her, I’d say I’m on the right track.
I swipe my tongue across her lips, needing to taste more of her. She parts her lips, letting me in as she presses her body more into mine. Kindred feels like the first ray of sunshine after a long, cold, gray winter. I could almost feel the sun like it was touching my skin.
Fuck. I jerk my head up when someone bumps me from behind, having forgotten where I am, enjoying the warmth and glow that is all Kindred. Warming parts of me I thought died long ago when I was only a boy.
Her big blue eyes shine up at me with such joy. “Took you long enough to get here.” She wiggles around in my arms.
“You’ve been waiting for me?”
She gives an extra dramatic eye roll. “I think I’m always waiting for you.”
“Cupcake, you—”
“Shots! Shots! Shots!” the Knotty Knitters start chanting.
“They’re gonna peer pressure me. Hide!” She buries her face in my neck. I stifle a groan as her lips brush against my skin, and then she playfully nibbles me. My dick is harder than it has ever been in my life; my balls are starting to ache.
I lock eyes with Hollis across the bar and nod down to Kindred and then to the back door.
He gives me a nod back. Before she can protest, I swing her up into my arms. “Ope!” she laughs.
I have never seen Kindred drunk before. A little tipsy after a few glasses of wine, sure. It’s safe to say she’s a happy drunk.
I carry her out to my cruiser, depositing her into the passenger seat. “Can we turn the lights on?”
“You stay put. I’ll get your coat.”
“Oh, good call!” She points her finger at me. “This is why you’re sheriff.”
“Be good,” I tell her before shutting the door and hitting the lock on my key fob while jogging back inside to get her things.
“You’re back.” Katie pops up on me. I fucking forgot about her.
“Grabbing a few things.” People step out of my way as I move through them to reach the bar. I don’t have to ask Travis; he’s already reaching under the bar and grabbing Kindred’s things to hand them to me.
“So you’re leaving?” Katie steps in front of me.
“Yeah.” Her eyes drop to the coat and purse in her hand.
“You’re taking her home.” Imagine the audacity of Katie thinking I owe her some sort of explanation.
“Is there a point you’re getting at here or something you need to ask me?” I want to cut to the fucking point.
“I thought we might hang out.”
“We hung out all day.” I motion for her to move. Her lips purse, further irritating me, but she moves.
I can’t help but think of when Kindred purses her lips and how I want to press mine to them every damn time. Things that annoy the shit out of me with others I find endearing with her.
“Hey, aren’t you the sheriff?” Two girls block my path in the back hallway where the bathrooms are, a blonde and a redhead. I saw them around town today. After the new year, the tourists will slow down. I look forward to that.
“Yes. Is there a problem?” Please fucking say no. Wait, Katie is here. She can deal with them. They both giggle, the sound reminding me of a bunch of hyenas and transferring me back to that three weeks of hell I did in the Sahara Desert when I was still in the Army.
“You know—” The redhead speaks next. “You could totally double as a cop stripper.” Strange thing to say, but maybe they’re joking because of the bachelorette party. Who fucking knows.
“We do have a room over at Mulberry Inn.” Why is she telling me this?
“That’s great for you. Why don’t you go back there?” They both scowl at me.
“Both of you get to the front or head out for the night.” Travis comes up behind me to shoo them away. They both glare at me when they pass.
“Not sure what I did to them, but thanks.”
“They were hitting on you, and you shot them down.” I shake my head. That wasn’t what was happening. Travis chuckles. “It’s actually funnier because you don’t have a clue.” I don’t have time for this.
“I have to go.” When I step outside, I have to fight a smile because she did, in fact, find the lights. The blue and red flashes across the parking lot. Travis is going to love that.
“Cupcake,” I say when I open the door. “Told you to be good.”
“But it feels nice being bad.” She gives me a wicked smirk.
“What am I going to do with you?” I mutter, placing her bag on the floor and draping her coat over her legs.
“You’re going to take me home with you. That’s what you are going to do.”
“Am I now?”
“The night is young, and I don’t want to sleep yet.”
“Your wish is my command.”
I promise myself that I’ll keep my hands to myself. She’s drunk, but I can’t pass up seeing her in my home. I finally got it fully completed a month ago, and she hasn’t been out to see it.
“This thing got music?”
“Babe, don’t be pushing buttons.”
“I love pushing your buttons. You called me babe.” I glance over at her. We’ve hit the edge of town and are on one of the back roads into the mountains.
My place isn’t far from town, but it is nestled back with trees shadowing it, so you can’t see it from any road. I got lucky with the spot. I think the luck was partly because of the price of the land.
With it being close to town and a mountain view in the backyard with a pond, they wanted a nice chunk for it.
It was worth every penny. I knew that when I’d taken both Kindred and her brother out to see it, wondering what they thought of it.
They were locals so they’d know better than me.
I also wanted to see Kindred's reaction to it, and when I did, I knew I would pay whatever it took to get that land.
“I have to take babe off the list with cupcake?” I tease her.
“That depends. You call anyone else that?”
“No.” That would be weird. I don’t even care to call people by their first names.
“Okay,” she chirps happily.
“That would bother you?”
“Yes.” That’s all she gives me, not expanding on it. I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ll keep calling her, and only her, those names if it keeps that smile on her face.