Chapter Eighteen
Ididn’t think about how it would look, pulling up to the ranch in the back of the sheriff’s cruiser, dried blood around my nose.
Riggs appears to be two seconds away from losing his shit.
He fists his hands and takes a deep, controlled breath as I quietly explain what happened.
I slide one of my hands over one of his fisted ones.
In a second, he opens his hand and laces his fingers through mine.
“I’m okay. I promise.”
He presses his forehead against mine, and I’m reminded of how he was last night when he was trapped in his dream.
“Next time, you take me with you,” he tells me, his voice gruff.
“Deal.”
I give him a moment until I hear a throat being cleared. I turn and find Shepard glaring at Riggs, while Jen stares at him with curiosity that lacks the previous animosity.
“Well, you seem to be fine now.”
“I was fine before, Sheriff, but thank you for the ride home. I appreciate it.”
He sighs, lifting the Stetson from his head and holding it to his chest. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
I glance up at Riggs, who nods and lets me go. I urge Shepard to follow me inside. I walk into the kitchen, where David mutters to himself as he types something so fast into the laptop that it makes my brain hurt.
“Let’s take this to the den,” I suggest.
Shepard watches David for a moment before following me down the hallway.
The house feels weird to me, like the tingly, fizzy feeling you get when your foot falls asleep.
I can sense how wary it is, and for a moment, I worry it’s about the sheriff.
Then I realize it’s my blood. The house knows I’m bleeding, but not what happened to me.
In an attempt to soothe it, I trail my fingers lightly across the wall as I walk, pushing reassurance into the bones of the house.
I’m careful not to expend too much energy this time so I don’t end up with another nosebleed.
Once we reach the den, I hold the door open for Shepard to pass through and then close it behind us.
I barely have time to turn around before I’m pinned against the wood.
I open my mouth to protest, but words die on my lips when Shepard slams his mouth down over mine.
My brain glitches, all rational thoughts flying out the window.
I stand there in shock as he slips his tongue between my lips and the taste of him—coffee, licorice, and pure man—consumes me.
Before I know it, I have my hands fisted in his shirt, and I’m pulling him closer.
I kiss him back, mimicking his actions and losing myself in the moment.
When he slips his jean-glad thigh between my legs, I whimper at the pressure against my clit, needing more.
A voice in the back of my head screams at me that this is a terrible idea.
But it isn’t until his hand slides under the fabric of my T-shirt to cup my breast that I rip my mouth from his.
“Fuck. You make me lose my mind,” he groans, pressing his forehead to mine, as Riggs did only moments ago.
Riggs. Dammit. Though I owe neither man anything, I’m plagued by guilt. I shove Shepard away and straighten my shirt before crossing my arms over my chest. “What is it you want, Sheriff?”
“I think it’s fucking obvious, Poppy. I want you.”
“Why? Have you fucked your way through Crowhurst’s population and need fresh blood to get it up?” I lash out, embarrassed that I succumbed to him so easily.
He clenches his teeth but doesn’t rise to the bait.
“Why? Because you’re fucking beautiful. Because I haven’t been able to think of anything but your pretty little mouth and what it would look like wrapped around my cock since the day I met you.
I don’t know what kind of hold you have over me, but I both love it and hate it. ”
“You’re a cop,” I grit out like he needs reminding. “Black and white, remember?”
He lifts his hands, which are stained with Andrews’s blood. “Does that look black and white to you?”
I groan, scrubbing my hand over my face, needing to get my shit in order. This man is playing havoc with my senses. “I think you should go. I already told you this can’t happen.”
“Yeah, I know, and I almost listened.” He crowds me, and once more I find myself pinned to the door.
“But that was before I tasted you, before you were grinding your pussy on my thigh. I bet if I slipped my fingers inside you now, they’d come out slick with your honey.
Not because of that guy out there, but because of me. ”
Pissed and turned on is not a good combo for me.
I grab his face with both hands and tip his head down so his eyes stare straight into mine.
“Don’t think that just because you can get a reaction out of me that Riggs can’t.
I’ve been starved of affection for fifteen years, and now my body wants to soak it up like a sponge.
You think it matters to me that it’s your dick on offer?
Please. At this point, any dick will do. ”
He smirks. “Such a pretty little liar. I’m going to have fun fucking the truth out of you.”
Before we can argue more, he pulls away. I move out of his reach, but he just opens the door and steps out. Pausing, he looks over his shoulder with a molten look that threatens to burn away my panties and what’s left of my dignity.
“Word of warning. Anything he can do, I can do better, and I have every intention of proving it. Keep that in mind.” He’s gone before I can think of a witty comeback.
Just as well. I’m not sure I wouldn’t make an idiot of myself anyway.
I collapse on the sofa, burying my face in the cushion so I can scream.
A tap at the open door has me looking up, ready to curse the man out. It’s not Shepard, though, but David, looking flustered. “Sorry. I just wanted to know if you need anything else. I need to head home and pick up my sisters from the sitter.”
“Crap. No, go do what you need to do. Hell, I’m sure you can do a bunch of it remotely, which I’m fine with. When you have to be on site, I don’t mind if you want to bring the girls.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
I get up, straighten my hair, and tuck my T-shirt in, fighting off the urge to blush. “I’m sure.”
“Thanks, Calliope.”
“Anytime. Us misfits have to stick together.”
“Is that what you were doing with the sheriff? Sticking together?” he asks me with a straight face.
“Oh, he’s got jokes,” I mutter, knocking him with my shoulder as I walk past him, making him laugh.
I head to the kitchen. Riggs leans against the counter, drinking coffee. His eye comes to mine the moment I walk in. I quickly look away and at Jen, who is pacing at the other end of the room, talking animatedly to someone on her cell phone.
“What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Riggs mumbles. I whip my head back to him, but he nods toward Jen. “She’s trying to get a ride for her and the kid.”
“She can just take one of the trucks.” I walk to the mudroom, grab one of the sets of keys from the wall, and walk back in, just as David joins us. “Heads up.” I toss him the keys, which he catches. “You guys can use this.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. I have a bunch, and I can’t drive a single one of them.”
“We’ll have to change that.” Riggs sighs as Jen hangs up.
“I swear some people’s mothers really should have swallowed them,” she hisses, making Riggs choke on his drink.
“No luck?”
“No. But the sheriff did say that he’s trying to figure it out before he leaves.”
“Did he now?” I mutter before nodding to David. “He has keys to one of the ranch’s trucks. Use that.”
“Really? That’s perfect. The car is just a rental, so I’ll pay one of the interns to come and collect it for me once I get back to the office.”
“Alright. But if not, I’ll get Riggs here to pick it up and bring it back to the ranch.”
“Perfect. I need to grab my case from the office where I left it, then head out so I’m not late for tennis. David, are you ready to leave?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll grab your case,” I tell her when the room goes quiet, using the opportunity to leave and collect my thoughts. I take it from the desk and bring it downstairs to Jen. She hugs me and snatches the keys from David’s hand.
He looks at me with a quirky expression. “She’s….”
“Insane,” I finish for him, making him laugh
“I was going to say terrifying, but that works too.” He slides his backpack to his shoulder before giving me a quick hug. “See you later, Calliope. Bye, Riggs.” He jogs out as Riggs returns his farewell.
I walk to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Twisting the cap off, I close the door and yelp when I find Riggs standing on the other side of it. “Holy hell, man, you have got to stop doing shit like that.”
He grins, but there is an edge to it as he moves closer. “I like getting you all flustered.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t take much,” I admit, leaning against the counter. I take a swig of my water as Riggs moves closer. My heartbeat kicks up.
“So what did the sheriff have to say?”
I feel my face flush and keep my eyes on the wall. “Nothing much.”
“And he needed to say this, nothing much, in private?”
I put the bottle on the counter and look at him. “He kissed me, okay?” I throw my hands up in exasperation.
“He did?” He moves closer, like a scorpion ready to strike. I step away, but now my back is against the counter once more, and he’s in front of me, pushing his advantage. “Where did he kiss you?”
“In the den. Why?”
He grins, but this isn’t the laid-back Riggs or even the quiet sentry version. This man is something else entirely, and the look in his eye makes me feel very much like prey.
“Where on your body did he kiss you? Did he kiss you here?” His lips press to my temple before his breath skates along my skin.
“Or perhaps here?” His lips travel down to my cheek as I shiver under his touch.
His finger slides under my chin, tipping my head back before his lips skim along my jaw.
“Maybe he kissed you here.” His voice is whisper-soft, whereas my heart thunders so loudly it echoes in my ears.