“Whatever. You’re not here about my unlocked doors. Or is there some law I broke that I’m not aware of?”
“I’m here because of the weather.”And because you can’t be left to your own devices, though I kept that part to myself.
“I think I can make it through one little storm,” she said, trying to pull her hand free, but I tightened my grip, refusing to let her go.
“This isn’t just ‘one little storm,’ Luna. People die in these storms.”
The words sat bitter on my tongue, the memory of that tourist from last year combined with what had happened to our family so long ago—one small choice that had led to catastrophic consequences—cropping up anew.
“I think you’re overreacting,” she said with an eye roll.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and attempted to do the breathing exercise Ford had shown me. I made it a single breath in before snapping, “And I think you’re a pain in my ass. So what the fuck else is new?”
Note to self: breathing exercises do not work when faced with an adversary like Luna.
She inhaled deeply and peeled my hand away before tucking hers into her cardigan pocket. “I appreciate your concern, Sheriff, but I’ve been just fine so far, and I’ve been on my own for a long time.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked in disbelief. “If you haven’t had anything happen, that’s pure dumb luck. And you’re due.” I gestured to the thick tree trunk blocking her path out, nearly as large as the gigantic tree she’d chained herself to the week before. “Clearly. That fallen tree means you’re stuck out here until it’s safe to break it down, and that’s not going to happen until the storm passes and the main streets in town are cleared of any fallen debris. Which means even if something happens and youneedto leave, there’s no getting out.”
“Why would I need to leave?”
“Jesus, I don’t know,” I said, throwing up my hands. “You run out of food or water. A gust of wind knocks another tree over, but this one falls right on your van. You overdose on essential oils. Truly, the list is endless when it comes to you.”
She shot me an unimpressed look out of the corner of her eyes. “Your faith in me is astounding.”
I clenched my jaw, speaking through my teeth. “I’m not joking. Now, get in the goddamn car.”
Chin jutted up, she crossed her arms over her chest, the move plastering her already fitted tee to her skin, her tits pressed up, nipples high and tight. “The only way I’m getting in that car is if you handcuff me and force me in.”
I narrowed my eyes on her before sweeping my gaze over her from head to toe, letting my stare linger in a way I swore I wouldn’t again. Not after that kiss. Not after her soft little moans got my dick so hard it was painful. Not after she’d consumed every night’s dreams since. Not after I’d only been able to picture her every time I beat off. But my intentions didn’t matter when the rush of finding her safe while she was still in danger was consuming me. Bubbling under my skin and demanding Idosomething. And that had nothing on the way this woman goaded me…challenged me… It did something to me that no one else had managed to before.
Crack me.
Finally meeting her gaze, I stepped up to her, close enough that she had to tip her head back to look up at me, and swept my thumb across her lower lip, catching a rain droplet. “Don’t tempt me, lawbreaker.”
This close, I could make out the starburst around her irises, a ring of fire in that bottomless blue. Could make out the half a dozen freckles dotting her nose, even as rain speckled her skin. Could make out the rough rise and fall of her chest as she regarded me with parted lips.
She blinked up at me through the downpour, hair plastered to her skin, and held up her hands between us. “Do it, then,” she said, her voice low and gravelly, and the sound of it compounded with her demand shot straight to my cock.
Christ, the things I wanted to do to her. I wanted to cuff her hands behind her back, press her against the van, and lift up that wisp of a skirt before burying my tongue inside her pussy. Wanted my handprint left on her ass, a reminder of what an obstinate little thing she was. Wanted to drive into her so deep and use her cuffed wrists as leverage to work her back and forth over my cock until we both shuddered through our releases.
Just then, the sky lit up and a crack of thunder shook the ground, the winds whipping around us as another large branch fell only a dozen feet away. She jumped, bringing her body even closer to mine, until she was pressed right up against me. We were wasting time, and I didn’t have a whole lot more restraint left in me. If we didn’t hurry, we’d have to contend with downed trees as well as flooding as I attempted to navigate our way back to my house and get her to safety—if the path hadn’t already been blocked while I’d been out here arguing with her.
So, I called her bluff.
Her lips parted as I pulled out my cuffs and slapped one on her left hand. Then, with our eyes locked, I hooked the other one on my right wrist instead of hers.
Her lips parted in shock as she divided her wide-eyed stare between my eyes and our joined hands. “What the hell did you do that for?”
Lifting a brow, I said, “I’m not leaving you out here by yourself. So either we both go, or neither of us does.”
She stared, mouth agape, to where we were connected. “You seriously just did that.”
“Yep, I seriously just did. Now, what’ll it be, lawbreaker?” I wrapped my left arm around her, pressing my palm to her lower back and holding her flush against me. “I can either drop you off at my place and head back into the station to be of service to the people who need it, or we can stay out here in your van. Your call.”
CHAPTERTEN
LUNA
