Irresistible Force (A K-9 Rescue Novel)(15)

"Shit!" James let go of the butt of his weapon and went to unlock the  door. "Evening, Deputy Ward. You might have knocked first."

The deputy's eyes widened at the rebuff. "I did knock a minute ago, and  got no answer." He lifted his chin to aim his line of sight past James's  shoulder. "You okay, Ms. Appleton?"

"I guess it was the music." Shay glanced at James. "We didn't hear you."

The deputy moved his bulk through the door, gaze moving from one to the  other. "I thought you'd have left this area by now, Mr. Cannon."

James shoved his hands into his pockets, letting his annoyance slide  away. "I came back by to allow Ms. Appleton the chance to say a final  good-bye to Bogart."

The deputy eyed the dog that had come forward to sniff his leg. "I see.  Seems like a big to-do over a dog." Then he seemed to catch a whiff of  something. "You frying oysters, Shay?"

"Yes." She unfolded her arms, forced them to her sides. "We just finished, or I'd offer you some."

"That's all right. Does smell good." Even though he spoke  conversationally, James could tell the lawman was assessing a situation  he didn't quite understand and wasn't sure how to respond to. "Just  wanted to be sure everything's okay. I felt kinda bad about what I said  this morning. About your false alarms, Shay. Turns out you did have  cause. Wanted you to know I'm going to take your complaints seriously  from now on. Even if it looks like I don't have to worry about your  guest here." He tilted his head toward James. "That's a nice jacket you  got there, Mr. Cannon. Roomy."

Ah, the deputy had noticed his change of clothing, and that the jacket was a good cover for a concealed handgun.

"I stopped by to let Bogart say his good-byes, and Ms. Appleton was kind enough to allow me to use her shower."

"I see." The deputy smirked. Definitely, he was getting a picture of  things. More than what was going on. "That's real neighborly of you,  Shay. Most folks wouldn't be quite so kind to a man who had broken in on  them."

Shay folded her arms under her bosom. "As Mr. Cannon explained earlier, it was a mistake."

"I see." The deputy's mouth twitched again. "Nice music. And you look  very nice, too, Ms. Appleton. Things look downright cozy. You two take  care now. Have a nice evening."

James watched the deputy let himself out before he turned to Shay. "I think-"

She had turned away from him. But she could not hide the fact that she  was shaking. No doubt she was embarrassed, probably angry, too. He hoped  she wasn't crying. He hated it when women cried, though she didn't seem  the type.

He came up behind her and placed a hand on her trembling shoulder. "I'm  not sure what that was about but you shouldn't let it upset you."

To his surprise, she turned into him and moved forward to lean her  forehead against his chest. She wasn't sobbing but gasping, as if she  couldn't get enough air.

His hands slid up her back, trying to rub away the tremors that rippled  through her. "You can tell me what's wrong, Shay. I won't judge. I want  to help."

She lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were wet but her face  was creased with laughter. It escaped her now in little hiccups. "Deputy  Ward," she gasped between chuckles. "In one short day I've gone from  nut to slut in his eyes."

It took James a second to make the emotional adjustment from comforter  to coconspirator in her little joke. "You think? Maybe I should-"

She placed her hands palm flat against his chest, her fingers dragging  lightly against the fabric to bring her into closer contact. "Maybe you  should stop trying to help me."

He gazed down at her, his hands curving without his consent into the  contours of her back, his fingertips divining her spine through the heft  of her sweater. "Maybe I should. Still, you should have told him about  Eric's visit."

She held his gaze. "Why didn't you?"

He opened his mouth but she didn't let him get out a word.

"You really want to help me?" She lunged up on tiptoe and kissed him.

The moment her lips met his, he felt a current of electricity leap from  her lips to his and run straight as lightning down his spine to his  cock.                       
       
           



       

The sensation seemed reciprocated in her female parts.

Shay moaned and reached up to hold his head down to hers for another few  seconds. For weeks she had been battered and bewildered by  circumstances over which she had no control. In this moment, she was in  control and it was a glorious, heady feeling that she wanted oh so much.

But good things don't last.

She tore her mouth away from his reluctantly, closed her eyes and swallowed. Another mistake. But such a thrilling one.

Why didn't he say something? Let her go. His hands remained warm and persuasive on her back. What was he waiting for?

She leaned away from him and opened her eyes. He was staring back at  her, his breathing a little labored, his own eyes now dark with an  intensity that had all but swallowed up the blue. He wanted her. Equally  shocking.

She put a hand on his chest to hold him off. "Don't kiss me again."

"I'm not going to." And James meant it, right up to the moment he said it.

Then he knew he lied.





CHAPTER NINE

Something broke open inside Shay at the second touch of James's lips to  hers. The release sent the scorching heat of lust flooding through her  body.

From the moment her scuffle with the intruder at her door stopped and  she looked into his face, the confrontation between them had altered.  Regardless of the circumstances, her resentment of James had been fueled  in part by the need to fight the inexplicable surge of hunger she felt  for a stranger and to cling to her good sense.

She sighed as he dragged his firm mouth back and forth across hers.  She'd never felt instant attraction before. It was absolutely wonderful!  And scary.

Could she? Should she?

For once her mind and body were in sync, luxuriating in the pleasure she  didn't want interrupted. Her mind offered up all kinds of reasons she  should submit to the excitement raging through her body.

He is a stranger.

He doesn't know about my past, about my failures, or my lousy luck.

I will never see him again.

He only knows me here and now, the today of my life.

I can be anyone, even a really wild woman who takes what she wants, and what I want right now is him.

Shay trembled as James's hands found new areas of her back to explore.  Then she thrust her tongue between his lips. He tasted different,  delicious! Oh hell! Nothing was going to stop her now, even if she had  to tie him down.

James, at least the small part of him still paying attention to reason,  suspected he was making a mistake. The rest of him was fully along for  the ride.

Some women's kisses were flirtatious invitations. Some planted a kiss on  a man that went straight to his dick, raw and raunchy and promising  more.

Shay Appleton was kissing him like her life depended on it.

He fought for objectivity. He was accustomed to dealing with women of  all sorts in every stage of emotional distress. Shay was overwrought.  This was just a physical reaction from emotions strung out too far for  her rational mind to conquer. But he knew it would. Eventually.

He waited for her to recover, not really kissing her back but not pushing her away. Lord, but she tasted good.

Logic fought for the upper hand. She didn't like him. Hell, he had no business liking her. Too prickly. Not his type.

His libido counterpunched with a physical argument. It dropped his  heartbeat to his groin where it pumped up his dick with every pulse.

Firmly ignoring the sensations lower down, he tried to lift his head to  gulp a breath of sanity but she reached up and held his mouth to hers.

This time her kiss was one of complete abandon, openmouthed and wet with  lots of tongue. Damn! She moved closer, her hips pushing forward  against his in invitation. She had more moves, too. Like rubbing her  pelvis against his groin as her breasts massaged his chest.

His restraint was shredding. All the years of being a by-the-book  officer who broke no rules, gave no favors, and accepted no bribes, not  even the occasional freebie blow job offered by a working girl, counted  for zilch. His professionalism was wilting under Shay Appleton's sexy  assault. Everything else about him went rock hard with lust.

Calling on the last shred of his self-command, he reached out to try to  hold her away. Yet when his hands reached her hips in anticipation of  giving her a gentle shove, they grasped her instead and hauled her in  until she was up on tiptoe.

She moaned into his mouth and then caught his lower lip in her teeth and sucked it into her mouth.

Ah damn! This wasn't what he expected. Still, nothing much had happened  …  yet.

His hands weren't paying much attention to his head. They shifted from  her hips down to encounter the firm curves of her ass. He could feel the  heat of her through her clothing, and wanted more. His hands slid up,  his fingers slipping under the hem of her sweater, and found the warm  soft skin of her back.