The Sheriff Catches a Bride

Chapter Ten



AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION with a ticket agent at the train station and the helpful young couple who stood in line behind her, Fila realized she now needed to turn to a different form of transportation. She duly found herself several hours later ensconced in the comfortable seat of a Greyhound bus heading west for Montana via Wisconsin and Minnesota. She had one transfer in Minneapolis, but she’d been assured that would be a piece of cake. The ride would take almost exactly twenty-four hours. Time to catch up on some sleep.

She woke up when a young woman sat in the empty seat beside her and Fila fought down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her again.

“What station is this?” she asked, jerking upright in her seat.

“Tomah.”

Fila checked her ticket. Still three hours to go until the transfer in Minneapolis. She settled back in her seat, but sleep eluded her again. Where were Wahid and the others now? Were they still searching for her in New York City, or had they somehow figured out where she’d gone?

She shivered and peeked over to see what her seatmate was doing. The young woman had withdrawn a tablet from her purse and held it on her lap. Fila had seen them everywhere since she landed in New York and she longed to hold one, too. To explore what it could do. The woman was watching a movie, with earbuds in her ears, so Fila couldn’t hear what the actors said. She wished she had a movie to watch. Maybe then the time wouldn’t crawl by so slowly.

As if hearing her thoughts, the woman glanced her way. She smiled, manipulated something on her tablet, paused the movie and removed her earbuds.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Catherine.”


“Fila.” Too late she remembered she was supposed to say Karen. Well, what were the chances of Wahid or the others meeting this Midwestern girl and actually speaking to her?

“Where you headed?”

“Montana. How about you?”

“Fargo, North Dakota,” Catherine said. “I go to college there. Is Montana your home?”

“It’s going to be,” Fila said. A grin twitched the corners of her mouth. For the first time she believed it.

“I love Montana,” Catherine confided. “I want to move there when I’m done with school.” She looked Fila up and down. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two,” Fila said. Ancient in Afghani years—much too old to be unmarried—but just a child here in the United States.

“Me, too,” Catherine said happily. “I’m in my senior year. What about you?”

“I haven’t been able to go to college yet.”

“Oh.” Catherine seemed confused. “Where are you from? You have an accent I can’t place.”

Fila bit her lip. She wanted to be truthful with this bright, young girl, but she couldn’t afford to leave a trail for the men to find.

“I’m from Syria,” she said, figuring no American could tell the difference. She relaxed when Catherine took her answer on faith.

“Syria,” she said. “Is that near Greece?”

ON SATURDAY MORNING, Cab stood in the foyer of Carl’s house, ready to head into town to grab some breakfast at Linda’s Diner, when his phone rang. He was in a foul mood, unusual for him, but he’d let himself think that Rose was interested in him, and he’d let himself look forward to their date this morning. Knowing she was with Jason in North Dakota made him itch to strike out at something, and he wasn’t that kind of guy.

Usually.

“Hello?”

“Cab? It’s Rose. We still on for today?”

Cab pulled the phone away from his face, stared at it, then put it back to his ear. “You’re in town?”

“Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier, though. The last couple of days have been hectic.”

“I figured you’d still be in North Dakota. I heard something about you visiting Jason.”

A pause. “You heard wrong,” she said finally. “So, do you still want to get together?”

“Sure.” Of course. Just as soon as he got his mind wrapped around the fact she was here and wanted to see him. And that she hadn’t gone to see Jason. “Are you at the Cruz ranch?” Had she been there the whole time?

“No.” Rose took a breath. “I’m running some errands. I can swing by your place if you like.”

Well, that was vague. “All right,” he said slowly, deciding whether or not to dig for answers. “You can leave your car here and we’ll head out to the hills together. I know a place where it’s safe to shoot.”

“Great. See you in a bit.” She rang off before he could ask any more questions. Like, why did her friends think she was out of town? And, had she spoken to Jason?

Fifteen minutes later, his doorbell rang and he opened it to find Rose dressed in a pair of jeans, boots, a thick coat, hat, mittens and scarf. She looked a little less tidy than usual and wore no makeup today. Her hair, generally neat as a pin, hung loose around her shoulders in waves. Almost like she’d just rolled out of bed, Cab thought.

“Can I freshen up before we go?” she asked when he waved her in.

“Be my guest.”

She kicked off her boots and he noticed their soles were caked with dirt. “Is it that cold out?” he asked as she unwound her scarf from around her neck.

“I just can’t get warm today,” she said.

“Coming down with something?” She certainly looked tired and when he touched her hand it was icy cold. “Hey, you better warm up for a bit before we go back outside. Come on.” He led her farther into the house, pointed her to the bathroom and went into the kitchen to make her a cup of hot coffee. When she found him there a few minutes later, she hesitated in the doorway. “Have a seat,” he said and waved her to a chair at the table.

“Thanks.” She took the cup of coffee and wrapped her hands around it. “I’m not sick, I just didn’t sleep well last night. Then I was outside for a bit this morning. The cold got into my bones, I guess.”

“It’ll do that,” Cab agreed and sat down, too. “I’m not in any rush today, so you take your time.”

“Thanks.”

“Tell me—why do your friends think you’re in North Dakota right now?” Cab knew he should probably mind his own business but he was singularly unable to do that where Rose was concerned.

“Because that’s where I was headed. I changed my mind after I talked to Jason.”

“Ah. How did that go?”

She made a face. “About as well as you’d expect. He blamed me for everything and claimed he was just as interested as ever in marriage, then got right back to the business of bossing me around.”

“So, you’re still together?” he asked cautiously.

“No. We’re through,” she said in a clipped voice.

He tried to squash the feeling of elation that filled his chest. Failed. “Where are you staying?”

She took a sip of her coffee. “I’d rather not say.”

Cab looked up. “Why not?”

“Because I’d rather not.” She met his gaze and held it. “You’re my friend, Cab, not my father.”

Damn. Here they were again. Did she not trust him or was there some other reason she acted so bull-headed around him? “I’m just curious. I’m not going to stalk you.”

“You did follow me home the other night.”

Cab shifted in his chair, frustrated. “I apologize for caring about your safety.”

She took a breath. Let it out. “Look, Cab, I appreciate that you care about my safety. Right now I need to be on my own, though. I need to figure out who I am without a bunch of people trying to take care of me or tell me what to do. I’d like you to be my friend. Can you do that?”

He stifled all the words he wanted to say about safety in numbers, the fact he was a sheriff—and a man, for God’s sake—and how he’d hate himself if anything ever happened to her that he could prevent. “Yes, I can.” The sentence sounded about as strangled as he felt.

“Good. Now how about that shooting lesson you promised me?”

“Coming right up.”

THE PISTOL WAS FAR HEAVIER than she’d imagined. Rose held it at arm’s length, aimed, took a breath, and pulled the trigger as she exhaled.

“Better,” Cab said, peering at the target. They stood in a canyon far from habitation where he’d set up a target a number of yards away. When they got to the canyon, he had put her through a lengthy safety spiel that only avoided being a snooze-fest because of Cab’s inherently sexy voice. After that he’d allowed her to hold an unloaded pistol, and walked her through each step of loading it, releasing the safety, aiming and firing. In Cab’s large hands, the pistol seemed like a toy and all the moving parts operated easily.

In her hands, it was unwieldy and the mechanisms hard to maneuver.

He was patient, she’d give him that. Several times she’d forgotten the rule against pointing the gun anywhere except at the target. She’d turned her head to speak to him and the pistol had turned with her. Each time he’d stopped her before she got very far, urged her to pay strict attention every moment it was in her hands, and listened to her response. The man was an excellent teacher.


She wished she were a better student.

The truth was being this close to Cab unnerved her in all kinds of ways. On an average day, she found him incredibly hot. But put a weapon in his hand and all those womanly fantasies about tough guys and heroes rolled into one in her brain. At one point he’d stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her and showed her exactly how to stand and hold the pistol. Her heart pounded the entire time and she barely heard his words over the roar of her blood in her ears. Even now that he stood several paces away she still felt warm and tingly all over. Firing the pistol was fun and exciting, but every move Cab made set her nerves on fire.

“That’s probably enough for one day,” he said a few minutes later. “Unfortunately, ammunition is expensive. Put the safety on, would you?” She did so, then handed him the pistol butt-first. “Come on, let’s see how you did.” He led the way to her target and they examined the holes her shots had made. “That’s the way you want to do it,” he said, pointing to a hole that pierced the outline of the male target right where his heart would be. “This one isn’t bad, either.” It had caught the man squarely in the forehead.

Rose shivered. “I don’t think I could do that in real life.”

“You have to be able to do anything in real life,” Cab said, his voice going hard. “There are people out there that wouldn’t think twice about doing it to you.”

“Your job must be hard sometimes.”

He nodded. “Especially lately. It’s been a tough few months.”

She reflected on that. “Because of the serial killer? You haven’t talked much about that.” Maybe he had to Ethan, Rob and Jamie. She supposed it wasn’t party conversation. But would Cab talk over the details of his job with his friends? He kept things pretty close to his vest. He pretended to be so easygoing, but there were depths to him she thought a lot of people missed.

“Yeah, because of that.”

“He’s in police custody, though.”

“I was there that day. Did you know that? When they found him.”

Rose sucked in a breath. “No. You never said anything.”

“I didn’t want to talk about what I saw. I still don’t. But I think I have to. Otherwise one of these days you’re not going to forgive me for the way I act.” He gave her a chagrined smile.

“I don’t understand.”

“Grady hacked Amanda Strassburg nearly to bits, Rose. She’s still in the hospital recovering. I got there right after they found him. And her. The investigation had been going on for months; we thought we’d tracked him down. But the FBI guys wanted to catch him in the act. They knew he had her—they let him get her in his car.” His voice had gone thick with emotion—anger and pain and frustration all mixed together. Rose held still, knowing he needed to say all of it. She was determined to hear him out, determined to be the friend he needed her to be. “They underestimated him. He got away—with her. And he cut her up like he was skinning a deer. I got there seconds after they found him—pure coincidence I was in the area. I didn’t know what it was—what I saw on the ground. I didn’t even recognize it. And then she moved.”

Rose didn’t think she’d ever move again. The picture he painted with his words was too horrific to be borne. She reached for him again but found she couldn’t touch him.

“I see her at night,” Cab went on, “when I try to sleep. I see…” He cut off and spun around, putting his back to her and she could see by the tightness of the muscles in his shoulders that he was physically struggling to get his emotions back into control. No, he hadn’t told this to Ethan, Rob or Jamie. She knew that for sure. A few moments later he let out a ragged breath. “She’s still alive, though. She’s a fighter, that one.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said softly.

“That’s my job.” He faced her. “It’s my job to keep people safe and in order to do that I have to think about what could happen—everything that could happen. I have to see shadows where they don’t exist yet.”

The tone of his voice told her he wanted her to understand and she did. At least she thought so. “That’s why you followed me home.”

“What if it had been you?”

Rose’s heart squeezed at the anguish in his tone and for the first time she really thought about what it must be like for Cab. He was surrounded by problems and chaos every day at work. She sold engagement rings. The full force of what he shouldered suddenly became real to her in a way it hadn’t ever been before. She was only responsible for herself. He felt responsible for everyone.

“I’m sorry I’ve been giving you such a hard time,” she said, understanding now he hadn’t been trying to control her, only to save her from the monsters he saw all around them. It didn’t mean she would tolerate him babying her, but at least she could understand the impulse behind his behavior. “Thanks for taking the time to show me how to shoot.”

He seemed to make an effort to shake off his heavy mood. “I can’t believe you’ve never done it before. Not even a rifle?”

He’d asked the question before. Rose shook her head, knowing he needed this trivial conversation to bring himself back into the present moment. “Not even a rifle. Mom and Dad weren’t into hunting.”

“What about you? Want to try hunting sometime?”

Rose considered this. “Maybe,” she said.

Cab chuckled and she was glad to see his sense of humor had returned. “I’ll take that as a no. That’s all right, we can find other things to do.”

Oh, yes, Rose thought with a sudden surge of feeling. She was sure they could. Especially now that she was free from any kind of obligation to Jason.

“Can I make you some lunch?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said before even thinking it through. She didn’t want to be alone and she didn’t think Cab should be alone, either. They both needed company right now. Besides, she enjoyed being near him way too much to back off now.

“Great.” Cab smiled and she forgot everything else.

An hour later they’d returned to Carl’s house, eaten soup and sandwiches and Cab was giving her a tour of the mansion. In some ways the grand home reminded her of Ethan and Autumn’s Big House, but apart from its log construction and the oversized living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows, there wasn’t a strong resemblance. Ethan and Autumn’s home was always filled with people, happy laughter and chatter. This enormous house was as empty as a cavern and about as welcoming as one. Rose knew Claire had helped to decorate it, and everything was very expensive and tasteful, but she couldn’t imagine people living in its rooms. The furniture was too pristine and decorative. There was none of the clutter one expected in someone’s home. If an interior design magazine wanted to do a photo shoot right this minute, there’d be nothing to clean up or hide away.

After they surveyed the eighth bedroom, Rose smiled at Cab. “I’m not sure I need to see any more.”

“Just one more room,” Cab promised her. He took her hand and led her down the hall to another door they hadn’t opened yet. Cab did so now as she warmed to the touch of his hand. Was he going to make a move? Did she want him to? Why was her heart beating so hard?


Because she was no longer tied to Jason and if Cab made a move she was free to respond to it. But should she? She wanted to learn to be her own woman and that was going to take time. She should be careful not to engage in any activity that led to falling straight into a new relationship.

As Cab led her forward into the room—a masculine space with heavy furniture and hunting trophies on the walls—all those rational thoughts fled her mind.

Smack in the center of the room stood a pool table.

And Cab was handing her a cue.

“WE DIDN’T GET TO PLAY each other the other night,” Cab said, pressing the cue into Rose’s reluctant grip. He didn’t look her in the face, afraid she’d remember how he’d met her gaze when Jamie joked about strip pool.

Afraid she wouldn’t remember it at all.

Cab didn’t kid himself that Rose would agree to such a thing, but he wanted her to know that he was ready for that kind of game any time she was. If Jason was out of the picture, he was ready to step right into it. Today they’d play a friendly game just like any two old friends might, but he hoped she’d think about other games they might play in the future.

“Ladies first,” he said when she didn’t answer. He racked up the balls for her, lifted the triangle away and stood back to watch what she would do next.

She slowly moved to take her place behind the table and placed the cue ball on the green surface. She leaned forward, allowing him a peep of cleavage beneath her sweater as she considered the table, lined up her stick, and took the shot.

One ball sank right away in a pocket. A second rolled close to a pocket, but didn’t go in. Rose straightened and smiled. “Thank God I got one. I’m not very good at this.”

“That was a good shot,” Cab said. He rested his own cue against a glass side table, then unbuttoned the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing and shrugged it off, exposing the T-shirt he wore beneath it. He laid it carefully over the back of a nearby easy chair, turned and caught Rose’s look. “What?” he said as innocently as he could. He knew they weren’t playing strip pool. He was just planting the seeds, that was all.

After a long moment she said, “Nothing.” She rounded the table and lined up to take the easy shot she’d gained from her last turn. It popped into the pocket and she glanced his way. Cab, who’d been standing with his hands shoved in his pants pockets, pulled out the handkerchief he carried in one, looked at it, then laid it on top of his shirt.

“Nice shot,” he said.

Her gaze shifted from his face to the handkerchief and back again, and she moved around the table to try another shot. There were several possibilities Cab thought he could make in her position, but none of them were a sure thing. She selected one, lined up and went for it.

She missed.

Something tightened in Cab’s gut as he waited to see what she did next. He didn’t expect her to do anything but step back and allow him to take his turn, but he held his breath, hoping against hope. As the seconds ticked by, Rose fiddled with her pool cue and refused to look at him. Finally, with a sigh Cab stepped forward and surveyed the table for his best opportunity to score.

Just as he was lining up his cue, however, movement to his left distracted him. He looked up to see that Rose had skirted the table toward the easy chair. As he watched, she slipped off her heavy sweater, added it to the pile, then straightened the blouse she wore beneath it.

Heat flooded Cab.

Did she mean it? Did she understand what game they were playing? She still wouldn’t look at him, and he refused to ask her point blank.

Only one way to find out.

He picked his next shot with more care than he’d ever wasted on a game of pool before. Even as he hit the ball he knew he would sink it. When he did he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face, but he knew that one wrong move could end this game before it really got started. He pretended he was engrossed by the arrangement of balls on the table, and never looked directly at Rose as she unwrapped the scarf she’d kept on after they got home and set it carefully atop her sweater.

Cab sunk the next ball and the next, and was gratified when Rose’s belt joined the pile and then her watch. He sunk two more and her barrette and earrings joined them, as well. She could have counted each earring separately, he noted. He hoped the fact she’d added them to the pile as one meant she was enjoying this as much as he was.

He wanted to get her naked as quickly as possible, but he didn’t want to scare her. Best to let her even things up a bit. He deliberately missed his next shot and took off his own belt. When she put the seven ball into the corner pocket, he shucked off his t-shirt.

Apparently the sight of his manly chest unnerved Rose—or maybe it was the way he flexed his muscles while reaching for his drink. Whatever it was, she missed the next shot and Cab felt like he’d reached the gates of heaven. He let the moment play out for a while, considering one shot and then another. When he sunk a ball, he stood up and waited to see what Rose would do.

This time she met his gaze, lifted her hands, and began to unbutton her shirt.

SHE WAS PLAYING a game of pool with Cab Johnson, county sheriff, and she was half-naked.

Rose couldn’t believe she was standing in her stocking feet in Carl’s billiard room, her shirt off, her hair down, watching across the table as Cab lined up his next shot. His muscles rippled as he held the cue stick, planned his movements and then took the shot. Cab was one handsome man, and today he looked better than ever. When she’d taken off her shirt he’d given her that same calm, assessing look he always did, but this time his regard raked every inch of her skin like a burning brand.

Her lips parted as she watched him straighten the cue, and she drew in a breath as he sunk the ball again. She guessed if she was going to play with a superior partner, she’d better get used to ending up naked.

She could get used to ending up naked with Cab.

While the sheriff watched again, one hand on his hip, the other steadying his cue, she unhooked the button at the waist of her jeans, slid the zipper down and shimmied them off. She paced to the chair where they’d agreed without words to lay their clothes and added it to the growing pile. Thank goodness she’d put on a fresh, pretty pair of underthings this morning even though she’d had no shower and nearly froze to death in the minute it took to change. Their silky lines accentuated her curves. She had nothing to be ashamed of.

Still, she burned all over.

CAB SHIFTED A LITTLE, trying to find a more comfortable position as he bent over the table to line up his next shot. Rose also looked a little uncomfortable as she stood across the table from him in her bra, panties… and socks. Interesting she’d chosen to take off her shirt and pants before the fuzzy striped things she wore on her feet. Maybe she didn’t like cold feet.

Or maybe she wanted him to see the rest of her.

Should he miss this shot and get his pants off, too? It would be the gentlemanly thing to do, but Cab didn’t feel much like a gentleman at the current moment. He lined up against the two ball and sunk it neatly. Waited to see what she’d do next.

And was rewarded when she reached behind her, undid the clasp of her bra and let it fall.

She bit her lip and straightened, still watching him. He wanted nothing more than to cross the room and take her into his arms. Hell, he could get the rest of her clothes off just fine, thank you very much. Still, this game heightened the sexual tension between them in a way he’d hate to throw away. He realized they hadn’t spoken a word in several minutes.


They didn’t need to speak, though, did they? Their actions got the message across strong and clear.

Cab lined up another shot and sunk it. Time to end the game. He hoped its conclusion would be the one he’d dreamed of. Rose let out a shaky breath he could hear across the room. What would she take off next? Panties or socks? She could draw this game out…

She hooked a thumb under the tiny waistband of her silk panties, gave it a tug and stepped out of them, dropping them to the floor. With a thudding heart, Cab set down his cue and crossed the room to tug her into his arms. He met her mouth with his and kissed her, desire flooding him until he thought he’d burst with it. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. When he gathered her to him, she parted her lips and let him inside. He had to hold back from crushing her against him, but they had time.

Plenty of time. He kissed her tenderly and thoroughly, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. Her lips were soft under his, her body soft against his hard muscles. He allowed himself to savor the taste of her, stretching out this moment he’d waited for so long.

Dragging himself back through sheer force of will, Cab pulled away and searched Rose’s face. Everything there told him she wanted this as badly as he did.

“You won,” she said with a shrug when he hesitated.

“What did I win?” he asked, his voice husky. He knew he was treading dangerous grounds, asking her to define what was happening between them, but he wanted to hear her answer badly enough to take the risk.

“Whatever you want,” she said, a blush flooding her delicate skin. “Three wishes,” she added, a playful smile curving the corners of her mouth.

Three wishes? Cab nearly groaned aloud with the possibilities. How far could he take this? Given the willingness with which Rose had played this game so far, he thought he could push her a little bit.

“Wish number one,” he said and turned her around, guided her toward the pool table and placed her hands on its edge. He stood behind her as she leaned over the table, looking back at him uncertainly. “Not to make love,” he assured her, taking a position behind her. “I just want to look at you. I want to feel you.” As if he meant to frisk a perpetrator, he used his foot to nudge her stance wider. He used one hand at her neck to bend her farther over the table, the other to pull her hips against him. Could she feel his hardness through his jeans against her backside? He hoped so. He hoped she knew how badly he wanted her, how much he wanted to worship her body. With his free hand he began to stroke her; down her hip, over her ass, wrapping around to tease the sensitive skin of inner thigh, up and over her hip again, then her waist and up to brush her breast.

Rose moaned aloud as he traced the curve of it, then whimpered as his hand fell away. He repeated the process with both hands until she writhed against him each time he cupped her breasts from behind. He could smell the muskiness of her and he knew she was ready for him to take this further. One more caress over the length of her body, and Cab took one of her wrists, turned her around and kissed her again.

By the time they broke the kiss he was straining against the confines of his pants. Time to do something about that. He undid the button and zipper, shucked them off and tossed them aside, then followed their trajectory with his boxers and stood before Rose, as naked as she was.

Her gaze dipped to take him in then rose again and her cheeks pinked even more. “Ah, Rose,” he growled and tugged her toward him. “Wish number two,” he said and pushed lightly on her shoulders. Rose dropped to her knees without any need for further explanation, and grasped him in her hands as if she was as eager for this as he was. He held his breath. His reward came swiftly as she leaned forward, her full breasts dipping and swaying with the movement, and took him into her mouth.

Cab couldn’t believe the way this was playing out. He didn’t know how he knew this would be okay with Rose, but he had the feeling he could do no wrong today. They were in sync with each other in a way he’d never been with a woman before. Rose took her time with him, letting him know this was no chore for her, but a pleasure. The way she moved her body along with her mouth was a feast for his eyes. He wrapped a hand in her hair, guided her movements and shut his eyes in the face of unbelievable pleasure.

When Rose wrapped her arms around him, taking hold of his ass and bringing him deeper, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. He was so close… so close…

But he wasn’t going to finish this way. Not today.

Reluctantly he pulled back and gently helped her to her feet. A glance around the room told him none of the furniture in here was good enough for his first time with his Rose. He scooped her into his arms, strode out of the room and into his bedroom, where he deposited her gently on the silky comforter of his bed.

Rose stretched out, languorously lifting her arms over her head, and watched him as he climbed atop of the bed and moved to cover her.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, pinning her wrists with his much larger hands. “Is this all right?”

She nodded and the knowledge that she trusted him—in this at least—set him on fire all over again.

“Are you sure?” He waited for her answer.

“Yes.”

ROSE COULDN’T BELIEVE how wanton she’d been this afternoon. Joining the game that Cab started. Stripping off her sweater, then her blouse, then her bra, then everything else.

Baring herself to him.

Granting three wishes to him.

Then playing along with each of them without even thinking twice. Now Cab hovered over her, asking her to give him permission to make love to her. She didn’t have to think twice about this, either. She knew what she wanted.

Him.

When he pinned her wrists to the bed, she felt no fear; instead she felt worshipped, adored, cherished. Cab would never hurt her, she knew that to the core of her being, and that gave her the freedom to give him reign over her entire body.

“Yes,” she said again, hoping he understood all that she meant to grant him. He reached for the side table, flicked open a drawer and pulled out a condom. After another moment he had it on and hovered over her again.

When he used his knee to nudge her legs open wide, Rose closed her eyes and waited breathlessly. Cab didn’t disappoint her. His hardness nudged at the core of her, pushed inside a little, withdrew, and pushed inside some more.

Damn it, why was he being so gentle? She wanted all of him. Right now. She wanted it so badly she couldn’t wait another minute. Her breath expelled in a rush when he bent his head and took one nipple into his mouth. He sucked it to a stiff peak, then transferred his attention to the other one. Down below, he withdrew from her again.

Rose whimpered in disappointment and Cab chuckled above her. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly and she opened her eyes.

“I want you,” she said, brimming with frustration.

“Like this?” He nudged her a little. She nodded.

“This?” He pushed inside a little more. She nodded again, her breasts rising and falling with her quickening breaths.

“What about this?” He pushed into her all the way and Rose arched back. Now Cab held nothing back, stroking in and out of her, crushing her under his weight, surrounding her with his arms as he stoked the fires within her to a raging blaze.

“Please,” Rose gasped out when she thought he might slow down again. She spread her legs wider, lifted her hips to meet his and cried out when he increased his pace. She’d never felt so filled by a man, so worshipped by one. Never felt so possessed.


Cab slowed down and timed his strokes long and even. Rose came to herself a little more, opened her eyes and warmed to see him gazing back at her. He watched her watching him as he sped up a little and then a little more. Rose, mesmerized, couldn’t look away. She wanted him to see how utterly open to him she was. Wanted him to know how she felt.

She kept her gaze locked on his, even when he picked up speed and his strong strokes set her alight. Even when she arched and writhed with each of his movements. Even when one last, deep stroke brought her over the edge and she cried out. Cab was fast behind her, his own grunts of pleasure mixing with hers. He drove into her with unbridled passion and she met him stroke for stroke, calling out again and again until he’d wrung every ounce of passion from her. With a final grunt, Cab shuddered against her, and collapsed on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

Rose welcomed his weight, welcomed the reminder of how tightly they had joined. She wrapped her arms around his waist and relished the feel of his skin under her fingers. A moment later he pushed up on one arm, allowing her to breathe more freely. “Was that okay?” he asked softly, tracing a finger around one curving breast.

She shivered at his light touch. “More than okay.”

“I didn’t hurt you?”

“No.” A smile curved her lips. “That definitely did not hurt.”

“Good,” Cab said, and turned on his side, pulling her close against him. As his arm went around her, she relished the solid feeling of his chest under her cheek. She could hear his heartbeat again and it was as strong as last time. Cab was a man to depend on.

A man she could love.

He stroked her hair as she stilled and considered that thought. Could she love Cab?

Should she?

Hadn’t she just broken off her engagement with Jason? Wasn’t she supposed to take some time to find herself? What happened to all her clear-headed thoughts about spending time alone, finding a new job, devoting herself to her painting, and creating her own life before she became part of a couple again?

And here she was in Cab’s bed not a full day after splitting up with Jason. Was she one of those women who couldn’t be alone for a minute? What was wrong with her?

It felt so good to be here, though. So right. Cab wasn’t Jason—he wouldn’t abandon her.

But he could easily dominate her. Not in a crazy caveman way, but because he was such a strong-willed, powerful man with an urge to keep her safe from the evil that he knew all too well lurked in the world. How could she maintain her boundaries with a man like that? Especially when he was sexy, intelligent, and drove her crazy with longing for his touch?

As her heart rate slowed and her mind cleared, she realized she was following a very familiar pattern. As soon as she broke free from one strong-willed person in her life, she found another one to step in and take over. If she dated Cab, would his controlling behavior escalate? Would he use his dealings with criminals on the job as an excuse to tell her what to do the way Emory had used his OCD tendencies?

And what about school? Now that Jason wasn’t in the picture anymore, this was her opportunity to go. All the money she’d saved in an account toward their wedding and home could be put to use securing her education. Would Cab stand in the way of that?

Suddenly, Cab’s muscular body half-draped over her felt confining. She wiggled to create some space between her and Cab, but he just snuggled her closer. She wiggled again. “Cab?”

“Hmm?”

“I need to go.”

He shifted a little. “Bathroom’s just down the hall.”

“I know,” she said, but she took the opportunity to slide out from under his arm and off the bed without clarifying what she meant. Glancing around, she realized she had no clothes in here; she’d left them in the billiard room. She grabbed one of Cab’s flannel shirts that hung from his closet doorknob and threw it around her shoulders. Its tails fell practically to her knees. Scooting out the bedroom door, she retraced their steps to the billiard room and stopped in the face of their earlier games. Most of her clothes were still piled on the armchair. The rest were scattered about the floor.

Cab had bent her over that pool table. She’d knelt over there beside it and taken him into her mouth.

She blushed a little to think how she’d bared herself entirely to him and how the whole experience had thrilled her to the core. She liked Cab a lot and she wanted to explore a relationship with him. Still, she needed him not to overwhelm her newfound independence.

She dressed herself in a few moments, moved out into the kitchen and collected her purse. She hesitated, not knowing what to do next. If she returned to Cab’s bedroom she had a feeling she’d find it hard to ever leave. On the other hand, she had to say good-bye and tell him clearly what she wanted. To date. To get to know him. Maybe more.

It occurred to her now that so far she and Cab had done everything out of order. First she needed to make a plan for her life and get over Jason. Then they should date a while. Only after they’d spent time together should they tumble into bed.

Too late.

“Where are you going?” Cab leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. He’d found his jeans, or maybe grabbed a new pair, but his feet were still bare. So was his broad chest.

“I… don’t know,” she said. “I need to… do something.”

He waited for her to go on and when she didn’t, he said, “Did we just ruin things, Rose?”

“No!” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but she didn’t mind when Cab smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“You remember what I was talking about with Autumn and Claire and Morgan the other day?” She twined the strap of her purse in her fingers anxiously.

“About attracting people who boss you around?”

“Yes.” It warmed her that he knew exactly what she meant. Cab was observant, and it seemed he’d been observing her for a while. “It’s because I don’t know who I am yet. I don’t have my boundaries set up.”

“And that’s why you’re leaving?”

She nodded. “So I can work on setting them up.”

He scratched his chin. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me help you, either?”

“That’s kind of the whole point of boundaries,” she said. “To keep people on the other side.”

“I’m glad you let me inside your boundaries just now,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up.

“Yeah, well… I’m glad, too,” she said softly.

“Come here.” He straightened up. Rose went to him and leaned against his bare chest as he enfolded her in an embrace. “You really do attract people who tell you what to do, don’t you?” He chuckled. Rose swatted him.

“If they tell me what to do and it’s what I want to do anyway, then I don’t mind doing it.”

“Spoken just like a woman.” He leaned back to get a better look at her. “Do you really have to go? I could be up for another game of pool.”

“I just bet you could.” Rose gave him one last kiss and pushed him away. “I really have to go.”

“When will I see you again?”

She glanced around, realizing she had another icy cold night ahead of her in her tree house, and she’d have to rush to get more supplies down the highway if she wanted to get back before dark. Should she just stay here with Cab and forget all about establishing her own identity?


No. What Autumn said was true. First she had to find herself. Then maybe someday she could give herself heart and soul to Cab.