Anticipation Read online

  “That’s it, sweet Dee,” he grunted out, satisfaction lacing his tone. His shoulder muscles flexed under her fingers and his hips moved faster and faster until he let out an animalistic groan as his own climax rushed through him.

  When Jonas’ orgasm ended and he leaned against her, breathing heavily, Deidre welcomed his weight. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held him close. The sensation of his heart beating at a thunderous pace against her chest while he was still buried deep inside her evoked a peaceful sense of rightness within her.

  She knew she didn’t have a right to feel this way. Jonas had been perfectly upfront and honest with her as to the limit of his involvement. Physically he was all there. Emotionally she’d have to look elsewhere.

  Soon enough she’d have to come back down to earth, but as she kissed his jaw and breathed in his outdoorsy, all male scent, she told herself she’d bask in the brief moment of idyllic perfection for as long as he’d let her.

  Or until the smell of smoke captured her attention.

  Lifting her nose toward the sky, she sniffed again, deeper this time. “Do you smell that?”

  Jonas withdrew from her then set her down on the ground as he inhaled deeply. Backing up a few feet, he stared past the forest’s tree line. His gaze jerked back to hers, a frown creasing his brow. “The smoke is coming from the direction of the B&B.”

  “Holy shit!” Deidre quickly pushed her skirt down. As she climbed up on Admiral, Jonas disposed of the condom and zipped up, buckling his jeans in record time. Once he retrieved his hat, he pulled himself up in the saddle behind Deidre. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he said in a serious tone, “You okay with galloping back?”

  In response, she kicked her heels into the horse’s side, impatient to get back to her parents’ house as fast as the horse would take them.

  Jonas gripped her tight against his frame and together they moved as one with the horse’s fast gait. They reached the B&B in time to see black smoke billowing out of the old barn. As horrified as Deidre was by the sight, what frightened her most was a thin path of burning flames in the grass that led straight to the house. Her heart jerked when she saw the wood stairs were already on fire.

  She pointed toward the house, her voice a few octaves higher. “The stairs—”

  “I see them,” Jonas said in a calm tone as he stopped his horse. He handed her his cell phone. “Press two to call the station. Tell Jeff I want him here now. He’ll call the fire department for you.”

  Before she could utter a word, he was stomping out grass that was still burning near the stairs before he headed toward the back of the house.

  Deidre’s hands shook as she dialed the sheriff’s office. When Jeff answered, she barely remembered her conversation with him because she was so intent on Jonas’ disappearance. Where had he gone?

  When he came around the side of the house carrying the garden hose with him, she let out a sigh of relief.

  Jonas called to her to move farther away from the burning barn as he started spraying down the stairs.

  Adjusting herself better in the saddle, Deidre grabbed Admiral’s reins and directed the horse to a safer spot. Once she got down, she tied his reins to the wooden fence surrounding the new barn on the other side of the B&B then ran back over to Jonas’ side.

  He’d managed to put out the fire on the porch, but fear and panic for her parents’ home and livelihood caused her heart to thump and her legs to shake as if they were ready to collapse underneath her any second. The heat from the fire behind them made her sweat in his blue jean jacket. “How long do you think it’ll be before the fire trucks get here?” she asked, handing him the cell phone.

  As soon as she spoke, sirens sounded in the distance. Jonas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close while his gaze zeroed in on the burning building. “In about a minute.”

  * * *

  A sense of relief washed over Deidre when she walked out the screen door with a tray of plastic cups and a pitcher of water for the firefighters. The yard reeked of smoke and wet, charred wood, but at least no more flames flickered in the burned-out barn. Three-fourths of the old building had burned to the ground. The men had spent an hour putting out the flames. The firefighters were currently walking around the debris, lifting pieces of blackened wood with their axes to make sure no more hot spots remained. Jonas and the fire inspector met halfway through the yard and approached the porch together.

  Emergency vehicles littered the property, their lights highlighting Jonas’ soot-marked face in a red, white and blue kaleidoscope. His gaze locked with her questioning one. “It was deliberately set.”

  Deidre quickly glanced at the charred stairs, guilt tightening her gut. “I should’ve been more careful with the fertilizer bag I used this morning. It was heavy so I dragged it out of the barn all the way to the front of the house. I didn’t know it had a hole in the bottom until I’d reached the flower bed. The fire must have caught on the fertilizer trail and made its way over to the stairs.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Miss Nelson. As the sheriff stated, the fire was deliberately set.” The fire inspector reached out his leathery hand and shook hers. “Edward Ross, ma’am.” He released her hand and pushed his fireman’s hat back from his sweaty, black brow. “The arsonist must’ve used a Molotov cocktail type igniter. We found some melted plastic among the debris. He’d apparently tried to be careful about what material he used… I’m sure he hoped it’d burn up in the fire. We’ve got proof, but I doubt we can get prints.” He paused and glanced at Jonas with an expectant expression. “I saw your men making an impression on the ground below the window where the flames never reached.”

  Jonas nodded. “Good thing it rained hard last night. The imprint has distinctive markings on the shoe’s sole. We’re hoping the evidence might make it easier to find the person who did this.”

  Anger whirled inside Deidre at the near miss with her parents’ home. “Who would do such a thing? I know it’s the end of the summer and antsy kids get into all kinds of mischief…” She trailed off while she poured a cup of water for Edward then handed the tumbler to him. “Anyway, thank you for your help. I hope you catch the person responsible. My parents will be so relieved, and me for them, that they can put all these pranks behind them.”

  “We don’t know for sure this is connected to the pranks yet.” Jonas directed his gaze her way. “This went beyond petty vandalism. Fortunately no animals were in that barn, but what if you’d been asleep when this happened? The fire could’ve continued to spread to the B&B and you could’ve been killed.”

  Her chest tightened at Jonas’ scary scenario, but Deidre’s mind refused to focus and worry about what could’ve happened. Instead, as she poured him some water, her heart skipped several beats at the intensity in his tone. She knew his job was to protect, but he almost sounded as if he cared what happened to her, not like the man who’d said he wouldn’t get emotionally attached.

  She handed him the cup and gave him a half smile. “I’m confident you’ll catch the person responsible.”

  “Damn straight,” he replied in a clipped tone while he took her offering. Downing the water in one swift gulp, he handed her the cup. “Which is why I’m going back with the inspector and we’re jumping right on this.”

  He was leaving her?

  As if he read her mind, Jonas jerked his head back toward the police cars in the background, their blue and white lights still flashing. “Don’t worry. I’m posting an officer to sit outside until further notice.”

  But that wasn’t what she was thinking. He was leaving her. Despite the destruction she’d witnessed tonight, she wasn’t worried the person or persons would come back. They’d done their damage. Or maybe the complete sense of calm that seemed to steal over her was because Jonas was so confident he’d catch the guilty party.

  All she knew was…damn it…he was leaving!

  Before she could utter a word, Jonas waved over one of his officers. “Jeff, I wa
nt you to stay here and watch the house tonight.”

  “Will do.” The short, stocky deputy touched his hat and acknowledged Deidre with a respectful nod.

  Jonas clapped the inspector on the shoulder. “Let’s go, Edward. You can give me a ride. We’ve got some work ahead of us.”

  “Thanks for the water.” Edward handed her the cup then led Jonas over to his truck.

  “What about Admiral?” Deidre called after Jonas.

  “I’ve phoned my foreman, Harrison. He’ll stop by and pick him up in the next half hour.”

  While disappointment rushed through her at the realization Jonas wouldn’t be returning tonight, she worked hard to keep her expression neutral. Damn it, how had she quickly become so desperate to spend as much time as she could with the man?

  Anticipation

  Chapter Five

  “Hey.” Jonas’ tired voice spoke next to her ear at the same time he pulled her back against his hard chest.

  Deidre awoke with a surprised gasp, her heart pounding. But the sensation of Jonas’ hard, naked chest sliding against her back while he climbed into bed with her turned her gasp into a sigh of contentment. She gave a sleepy smile and snuggled closer to his warm frame.

  After staying outside until the last fireman and police officer left, she cleaned the entire house, took a shower and crawled into bed. She’d lain there for a few hours before sheer exhaustion had finally caused her eyes to close. Glancing at the clock, she blinked at the time—three a.m.—and murmured, “I was so wired I finally fell asleep thirty minutes ago.”

  When Jonas let out a heavy sigh, she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  He kissed her shoulder, but she could tell he was thinking about something. “My brother informed me today he’d made his decision to put our ranch and the property on the market.”

  “What?” Deidre rolled onto her back. “But that property has been in your family for decades. You told me your parents worked so hard to leave a legacy for you and your brother.”

  Jonas shrugged. “Noah’s getting married. He wants to build a house in town.”

  At the frustration in Jonas’ eyes, she felt as if a weight was pushing on her chest. This had to be part of the underlying tension she’d noticed in Jonas the past couple of days. “Then buy him out.”

  He ran a finger down the side of her face and gave a half smile. “I offered, but my brother wants top dollar and I can’t afford that.”

  The idea that everything Jonas’ parents and Jonas had worked for would be all for nothing made her stomach knot. It wasn’t right. And their idyllic spot in the woods, the place they’d connected, would belong to someone else. It felt so very wrong. She placed her hand on his cheek as tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

  He smiled and brushed away a tear that rolled down her temple. “No worries. Life happens.”

  She noticed his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, but Jonas quickly kissed the palm of her hand and changed the subject. “I do have some good news.”

  “Do you have a lead about tonight’s fire?

  “Some. We should know more in the morning when the stores open.” Regret laced his voice as his hand moved to her belly and he rolled her back to her side, pulling her body flush with his from shoulder to hip. “I know I promised to keep you up all night long, but this wasn’t how I envisioned it.”

  She laughed softly, enjoying the low register of his voice vibrating against her back. He smelled like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and fresh soap. Man, she could get used to this. Better nip this wishful thinking in the bud, woman, she berated herself.

  “Mmmm, I see Jeff isn’t really doing his job if you can sneak into my house and climb into bed with me undetected.”

  “Good thing he’s on my payroll.” He chuckled as he placed a tender kiss against her neck. “I sent him home once I got back. Truth is, darlin’, I didn’t want you staying by yourself, even if Jeff was sitting outside all night.”

  The man just made her want to crawl all over him. Was it his sexy Texan accent or his protective nature that grabbed her deep in the gut? Both, and the man underneath, she admitted to herself.

  “Is that the only reason?” she said in a sultry tone. She distinctly remembered brushing against a very impressive erection a second ago. Deidre pushed closer and smiled when he growled in her ear, rubbing his cock against her buttocks.

  “Don’t tempt me,” he warned.

  “But that’s exactly what I’m doing.” She pressed harder, arching her body against him.

  His warm hands gripped her hips and held her still. “Baby, God knows, I want your ever-lovin’ sweet body, but I purposely didn’t bring condoms so I wouldn’t be tempted to follow my baser instincts. After a night like tonight, you need your sleep.”

  Both frustrated and appreciative of his thoughtfulness, Deidre said with a half laugh, “But what did you think I’d want once I got this sexy cowboy lawman in my bed?”

  Before she could utter another word, he flipped her over on her back and caged her in with his hands on either side of her head. Leaning on one elbow, he let a seductive laugh escape his lips as he slid his hand down her thin T-shirt and back up the outside of her thigh. “I just said for you not to tempt me. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to pleasure you. I’ve thought of little else ever since I had a cock-teasingly brief taste of your sexy body in the kitchen.”

  Deidre’s heart beat at a rabbit’s pace. In his new position, Jonas’ shoulders blocked the hall light, leaving his face in shadows. She wished she could see his expression. Her sex began to pulse and her breasts swelled at the thought of him finally tasting her, teasing her, sucking on her clit. “Well then, cowboy, I would never think to stop a man from his deepest desire.” Her hand covered his and she directed his fingers to the bottom of her T-shirt.

  Her heart thumped harder as he slowly pulled off her T-shirt then tossed the cotton material on the floor, his gaze never leaving hers.

  When Jonas began to massage her calves, she shook her head at the devilish look on his face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  The rasp of desire in his voice made goose bumps form on her skin. She glanced down at his briefs, turned on even more by the sight of his erection jutting against the fitted cotton fabric. “As sexy as I find you in your underwear, I don’t want you wearing anything at all.”

  Tension filled his expression and his nostrils flared. “I’m a man with base impulses. If my cock comes anywhere near your sweet, warm body, I’m going to fill it with mine. It’s as primal and fundamental as that.”

  Jonas’ frank comment made her breath catch in her throat. She wanted him that out-of-control.

  “Take them off.” She gave him a siren’s smile as she lay back and bent her knees. Putting her feet flat on the bed, she spread her thighs wide. “I think you can hold back.”

  His gaze locked on her sex as he slipped out of his underwear and tossed them on the floor. When his eyes met hers, his gaze darkened and his expression took on a provocative look. “Are you challenging me?”

  The sight of his cock, long and thick, surrounded by dark hair, made her walls clench in excitement. She arched her back so her breasts rose toward him. “You bet your sexy ass I’m challenging you.”

  Before the words had died from her lips, Jonas’ heavy body fell on hers, pressing her to the bed. His hands fisted in her hair and his lips hovered over hers as he laid his erection along her sex. Rubbing the outside ridge of his cock against her wet labia, he said in a husky voice, “It feels like you’re on fire, you’re so damned hot and slick.”

  Deidre’s pulse thrummed in her ears. She desperately wanted him inside her. Closing the small distance between their mouths, she grabbed his lower lip between her teeth and then applied suction with her lips before allowing gravity to pull her back down to the bed. “That’s exactly what I am…on fire. I know your nature. You’re always prepared. It’s what makes you a good sheriff. Tell me you left your
condoms in the car.”

  He gave her a sheepish grin. “Well, a man can be hopeful.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “Only if they’re within reaching distance, cowboy. Just how fast can you mov—”

  Jonas was gone, grabbing up his jeans before she could finish.

  Deidre chuckled, her body tingling with anticipation.

  She was glad she rolled over to her side to wait for him, because doing so allowed her the sexiest view she’d ever witnessed when he returned—Jonas standing in her doorway, slowly unbuttoning his jeans, an intense look on his face.

  She held out her hand and gave him a knowing smile. “Want me to put it on?”

  Her question made his cock throb. Jonas quickly stepped out of his jeans and handed her the condom.

  She opened the package and sat up on her knees. Her gaze locked with his as her fingers touched the tip of his cock.

  As pleasurable sensations slammed through him with each downward brush of her fingers, Jonas had to touch her. He slid his fingers through her hair, enjoying the soft silk. “So beautiful,” he murmured.

  She finished and wrapped her hand around his erection, pulling him onto the bed.

  The tugging sensation and her sultry comment made his hips move of their own accord. Their skin touched and he felt like a bull ready to break out of a rodeo chute. Jonas bit back the need to ram his cock deep into her wet heat. God knew, he wanted to with a vengeance. He closed his eyes tight for a second, holding himself over her, trying to regain control. But when Deidre lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips, bringing her entrance even closer to the tip of his cock, he let loose a growl of sexual frustration.

  Capturing her mouth in a hard, demanding kiss, he thrust his tongue deep, intending for his kiss to be aggressive and dominant. Instead of kissing him back, Deidre began to suck on his tongue in seductive, dragging pulls, turning the tables on his dominance. He was the one caught. His sexual urges immediately focused on the sensation in his mouth and the fact there seemed to be a direct tie straight to his cock.