My hips rock against his pelvis, creating friction directly against my clit. He steps back, lowering me to my feet. Sweeping his hungry eyes over my body. I’m breathing fast, and he lowers to one knee, pressing his face into my dress against my belly.

  “I want to taste you.”

  Heat races through me, and I nod. “Yes.”

  Lifting my dress, he places hungry kisses to the tops of my shivering thighs. His beard scratches my skin, and my head drops back with another groan. My fingers are in his hair, and I don’t think I can stay on my feet.

  I’m on fire, a column of molten need, and his mouth moves higher, his beard scuffing my hypersensitive inner thighs. My stomach twists. It’s irresistible and incredible, and with the first swipe of his tongue over my clit, my entire body jerks.

  “Oh, God…” I moan as his tongue moves faster, sliding up and around, over and over my clit.

  I can’t breathe. He grips my leg, placing it over his shoulder, and I’m out of my body, rising higher, faster, until I can’t take any more. A loud moan escapes my throat as the orgasm explodes through my core, shimmering up my spine to the top of my scalp.

  He gives me a few more passes, and I squeal, holding his head and moving him away from the overload of sensation. I feel his smile as he presses a kiss to my lower stomach then another to my hip as he rises slowly to his feet.

  Gorgeous eyes devour me, and he threads his fingers in the side of my hair. “I’m not leaving this time.”

  Orgasm swirls through my bloodstream, and I reach for the button of his jeans. “I don’t want you to leave.”

  He digs in his back pocket, removing his wallet. “It’s a bad idea.”

  “The worst.” I press my nose against the thin cotton of his shirt, inhaling his luscious scent as I push his jeans lower on his hips.

  “So many reasons we shouldn’t.” A tear of foil meets my ears, and I’m so relieved he has a condom.

  “So many.” I turn to face the wall, ripping my wet thong down my legs.

  “Fuck, Britt.” He leans forward, and I feel his erection, long and heavy against my ass. “You’re fucking perfect.”

  One large hand slides inside the front of my dress, squeezing and caressing my breast. The other fumbles between my legs, to my drenched core. I can’t believe this is happening. My eyes squeeze shut, and in one powerful thrust, he’s inside me.

  “Oh, fuck,” I gasp as he groans the same deeply beside my ear.

  He starts to move, and my mind blanks. I’m rising on my toes with every gentle thrust, with every murmured swear as he takes his time, allowing my body to stretch to his size. I’ve never been so full. I’ve never been so on edge, my entire body electric.

  He picks up speed, going deeper, and my orgasm simmers in my veins. His hand swiftly massages my clit, and I exhale a sharp whimper.

  His lips press behind my ear. “You like that?”

  Another fast thrust, and I’m on my tiptoes.

  “Yes,” I gasp, bending my knees to open my legs wider.

  A harder thrust, and he’s fucking me off my feet.

  His hot voice is in my ear. “You’re so wet for me. Do you want to come again?”

  “Yes…” I’m begging for it now.

  I just came in the most spectacular way, but his persistent strokes, his fat cock, his firm thrusts and dirty words have me at the breaking point.

  “Say it.” It’s a low order.

  “Make me come again.”

  “Say please.”

  “Please,” I gasp, my fingers curling against the wall.

  He groans, picking up speed, his fingers never leaving my clit. Little explosions of pleasure flood my core with every thrust, and my thighs are slick. The orgasm twists tighter, lifting me higher, so high, until I break again, with even more intensity than before.

  My back arches, and my jaw drops as a feral sound leaves my body. The muscles in my legs shake violently, and he holds me, giving me two more hard thrusts before coming, pulsing deep with a series of punctuated groans and swears.

  Our bodies are flush, and I can feel him tremble. I can feel his heart beating as hard as mine against my back. I’m completely wrapped in his strong arms, unable to move if I wanted.

  I don’t want to move. I never want to move again. I wonder if it’s possible to stay this way, wrapped in the cocoon of his body forever. I’m pretty sure I’ve died and gone to heaven, or if this isn’t heaven, it ought to be.

  His arms relax, and he reaches down to dispose of the condom in the silver trash can beside the door. My breath slowly returns to normal, but he pulls me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me.

  I’m surrounded by his scent and his strength, and when he speaks, he presses his lips to the top of my head. “I’d like to stay with you tonight, but I have to get home to Owen.”

  “I know.” My hands are bent between our bodies, my palms flat against his chest.

  Sliding them higher, I place my fingers on the sides of his neck, loving the feel of his strong arms around me as I come down from a place I’ve never been in my life.

  “Come on.” He takes my hand, leading me up the stairs to my door.

  I’m glad he’s holding me, because I’m still not completely sure-footed after that orgasm. Those orgasms. He waits while I unlock my door, and when I turn to him again, I don’t want to let him go.

  “Would you like to come inside?”

  He’s so tall, looking down at me. “Yes.” He lifts his finger to trace my long bangs behind my ear. “But I have to get home. Vanessa has already stayed later than I said.”

  “Tomorrow’s my day off. I was going to run some errands, try talking to my mom again…” I’m not sure why I’m telling him my agenda, other than I don’t want him to leave.

  I hate that I won’t see him all day.

  “I’ll be across the street if you need anything.” He takes a step back, lifting my hand and kissing the top of my knuckles.

  “Aiden?” He stops, and nerves squeeze my stomach. “I know what we did was a terrible idea…”

  His brow furrows, waiting.

  “But I really liked it.”

  A sly smile quirks his full lips, and he returns to me again. Placing his hand on my cheek, he leans down and slides his lips over mine once more before giving me a kiss, possessive and warm.

  I’m completely melted, and he says soft and deep, “Me, too.”

  CHAPTER 13

  AIDEN

  She’s only been here a week, but Britt’s absence from the office has me restless and bored. The place is too quiet. We’re not making enough progress on the case, and I keep lifting my phone to text her.

  I don’t.

  It’s her day off. She needs to take care of her own business—buy actual groceries, for Pete’s sake, check on her truck, take it easy.

  Adding to my restlessness is the fact I had the best night’s sleep in years. Driving back to my house, her taste was on my tongue, her moans were in my ears. Closing my eyes as I settled into bed, I relived taking her body. She’s petite, but her ass is round and soft. Her breasts are small, but they fill my hands, and her soft moans, her taste… I came so fucking hard with her.

  A smile curled my lips, and I fell asleep with a deep sense of satisfaction in my stomach.

  Today, I have to rationalize the big red line we crossed.

  My jaw tightens as I sit in front of my computer, chewing on a pen. For starters, I’m practically her boss. She’s here on contract, so it’s not as bad as if I were her actual superior, in charge of her promotions and raises. We’re in a sort of gray zone, but it would be frowned upon if people knew.

  If Edna found out…

  Although, after our conversation in her office, I’m not sure what she’d say. I’ve found a tentative peace with Edna, so it’s possible she wouldn’t do anything crazy. Gwen on the other hand, would pitch a fit. I don’t know what that would mean to Britt.

  Our families don’t have the greatest history, but Britt isn’t like any of them. My thoughts drift to my grandmother’s family versus my grandfather’s. The bad blood between them went all the way back to Prohibition, but they were able to overcome it.

  Which brings me to Owen.

  I haven’t wanted to date anyone while he’s so young… That’s not true. After the Annemarie shitshow, the last thing on my mind was letting another woman anywhere near me. Until this smart, sassy little lady waltzed in and turned my head. Exhaling a groan, I stand, rubbing my hand over the tightness in the back of my neck.

  Owen’s already in love with her, and I don’t want him to be hurt if this turns out to be a short-lived, lust-fueled fling—which I’m not convinced it isn’t. All this satisfaction could simply be getting laid for the first time in years.

  I need to get out of my head. I exit my office to enter the main room, where Doug is leaning against the wall beside Holly’s desk. Her headset is around her neck, and the two of them are discussing the festival next weekend.

  “Hey, Sheriff!” Holly jumps up, attempting to disentangle her spiral curls from her device. “I might have something for you on the case!”

  My ears perk up, and I walk over to where the two of them are standing. “Whatcha got?”

  “Well…” She gives up on her headset and stands in place. “I was talking to my dad last night, and he told me about a clinic near Kiawah that worked specifically with Vietnam vets back in the day. He said it’s closed now, but you might try poking around and see what comes up.”

  “Did he have a name or an address?” I’ve got my phone out, and it feels like the best lead we’ve had since Britt turned up all her clues.

  “He said it was something easy like The Kiawah Clinic. He couldn’t exactly remember, but he said it was by the discount casket place.”

  I can’t help a grimace. “Discount caskets?”

  “I know.” She laughs. “It might not be in the best part of town. He said it was on a street with a funny name, like Manlove Street or Sangster Street.”

  “I’ve heard of Manlove Street.” Doug perks up. “I don’t know about discount caskets, but it’s near the tracks. That’s way before you get into Kiawah.”

  I look at the clock. It’s about an hour and a half drive to Kiawah, but I’m not sure where I’m going or who I’m trying to find.

  “I found it!” Doug calls out from his desk. “Kiawah Veteran’s Care. Run by Dr. Sy Needleman.”

  I’m tapping on my phone as his fingers click on the keys. “He’s dead,” we both say at the same time, and my shoulders fall. “What now?”

  An idea filters through my mind. We might not be able to access his records—not that we ever could without a search warrant, and we don’t have enough evidence to get one. “If he is a veteran, we could possibly find him by his location and his injury. He would’ve received a purple heart if it was service related.”

  “On it!” Doug’s fingers fly over the keys, and he accesses the government databases. “Shew, this is going to take a minute.”

  I look at his screen, filled with line after line of names. A dark realization passes over us all. A lot of young men died or were seriously injured in that war so long ago. It tore our nation apart and changed a lot of people’s attitudes towards the military.

  Thankfully, a lot of that bad blood had gone away when it came my time to serve. I was proud to be a Marine. Now I’m proud to be in law enforcement, even if we’re struggling with a similar climate of suspicion.

  I pick up my phone, sliding my finger over the screen. “Just see what you can find, Doug. I’m going to grab some lunch, but I’ll be back.”

  I know it’s her day off—and all the other things that kept me from texting earlier… Still, she’d want to know about this, and I want to see her face.

  You awake? I tap out quickly.

  Gray dots float and disappear, then they reappear and disappear. My chest tightens with every near-response, until finally, she answers, Yes!

  I exhale a short laugh. Took a long time for one word.

  This time I get a little more. I’m trying to do better with not over-sharing.

  I don’t like the sound of that. You can over share with me.

  Again, the gray dots float and disappear, before, What’s up?

  So many responses float through my mind: I want to see you; I can’t stop thinking about last night; Maybe it’s a terrible idea, but how bad can it be?

  Instead, I keep it neutral. Need a ride to get groceries? I’ll pick you up.

  Her reply is equally safe. Sure, meet you out front.

  When I get to the Star Parlor, she’s standing on the sidewalk looking adorable in another thin dress with some kind of blue design on it and a blue cardigan on top. I put the truck in park and hop out to let her in, but she’s already got the door open.

  “Hang on.” I catch her arm, and standing on the step-side puts her face even with mine.

  Heat flashes between us. Her body is so close; her lips are right there. Our eyes meet, and my impulse is to pull her to me and kiss her.

  Instead, I take a half-step back. “I was going to help you.”

  “I didn’t think…” She glances towards the building. “We’re just getting groceries.”

  “Right.” My hand is on the door, and once she’s inside, I close it.

  Get a grip, Aiden. I jog around to my side and get in, pulling away from the curb.

  “That’s not really a parking spot.” She looks up at me almost as if she feels guilty. “I wasn’t going to make you wait in the middle of the day.”

  “It’s okay.” I give her a little smile, and her eyes drop to her lap.

  Her cheeks are a pretty pink color when I glance at her again, and she clasps her fingers together, which I know means she’s flustered.

  Reaching across, I put my hand on hers. She stills a moment before relaxing and turning her palm to mine. She places the other hand on top, and the tension in her body seems to ease. It triggers an unexpected urge to protect her.

  I give her hand a squeeze and return mine to the steering wheel. “What did you do this morning that you didn’t want to overshare?”

  She exhales a little laugh. “Not much. Took Edward for a walk down to Bud’s garage. He said my truck should be ready tomorrow afternoon. The dry weather helped with the paint job. I just don’t know where I’ll put it. I’ll probably have to keep it at my mother’s place, which still puts me out of a vehicle. Maybe I can borrow her bike, but that’s just going to give her more ammo to try and make me move home, which I do not want to do.”

  “I see.” My eyebrows rise, and she exhales a little sound, putting her hands on her cheeks.

  “See what I mean? Too much information, Britt!”

  “It’s okay,” I chuckle. “That’s a lot to think about on your day off. You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

  “I never get to do that.” She looks out the window. “Something’s always falling apart or on fire or disappearing.”

  “Not on your day off.” I give her a glance before turning in at the grocery store. “We’re getting groceries, and I’ll help with your truck situation. I think my mom has a bike you can borrow.”

  Britt’s eyes light. “She does? She wouldn’t mind lending it to me?”

  “I don’t think she’s ridden it in years. We might have to check the tires and make sure the chain is greased.”

  “I can do all of that!”

  “I’ll help you.” My hand is on the door handle, and I touch her arm. “Don’t move.”

  Walking around, I open her door, and her lips press into a smile. I reach up and help her out of the cab, and she says a quiet thank-you as her feet touch the ground. My hands are on her waist, and I really want to kiss her now.

  “Hiya, Sheriff!” A cheerful voice breaks the moment. “I thought you were getting some lunch?” Holly pauses, carrying a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

  “Britt still doesn’t have her truck, so I offered to give her a ride to the store.”

  “That’s so nice. Hi, Britt!” She waves. “Had to get some donuts for the little man. Is Owen coming by after school today?”

  “I expect he’ll walk over.”

  “See you back at the office.” She waves, continuing on to her car.

  Britt crosses her arms over her stomach as we walk, and we’re quiet, almost like we got caught doing something wrong.

  “They’re everywhere,” she whispers, and I start to laugh.

  “We’re just getting groceries,” I repeat her words back to her as I grab a cart and head into the produce section.

  I hang back beside the buggy as she picks through the apples, grabs a couple of oranges, and a banana. “I always buy too much fruit, and I never eat it.”

  “Don’t forget your buns.” I hold a package of specialty bread at the level of her butt.

  “Stop it.” She swats it away, with a little laugh. “Hmm, how about this for size?”

  She holds up a large zucchini and cuts her eyes from it to my crotch.

  “I’m not threatened.”

  “You shouldn’t be.” A little arch of her eyebrow makes my dick twitch.

  “We’d better get moving. I only have an hour.”

  She puts a bag of lettuce in the front, leaning closer to my ear. “But you’re the boss.”

  Her breast lightly glides over my arm, and my grip tightens on the handle. “I think you have enough for now.”

  “I need soft drinks!” She skips over to grab a box of ginger ale.

  I’m already in line to check out. “You can get the rest at the grocery in town.”

  “I did get eggs and coffee yesterday.” Her lips twist as she inspects the items on the belt. “I’ve got frozen pizza. I don’t drink milk…”

  “No milk?”

  “Lactose intolerant.”

  My brow lifts, and she places her phone on the keypad. We carry the bags out and return the cart to the bin. Inside the truck, I’m making good time back to her place.

  I park on the curb, giving her a nod. “It’ll be okay while we unload.”

  I’m ready to get inside and get under that dress. I’ve been a breath away from a hard-on ever since her sexy flirting at the grocery store.