“Desperation,” she said, but kicked off the absurd shoes on his floorboard and tucked her feet up under the dash where the heat was pouring out.“Oh my God, I’m so glad you found me.”She leaned her head back with her eyes closed and slowly let the tension run out of her body as she warmed up.
“Why didn’t you just call me if you were stranded or needed a ride?”
She didn’t move, didn’t say anything, just sat there basking in the heat of his car.
“Oh, I get it.”
Her eyes popped open, and she turned her head to look at him.“Get what?”
“Either you don’t want to spend any more time with me, or you’re worried what people will say, or both.”
“No.That’s not true,” she said defensively.
“Then why haven’t you reached out?Did you see my email?”
“Yes, just this evening but I was at a stupid event my mother was hosting with her women’s committee.”
“And you’d rather walk in the freezing cold than call me?”
“I didn’t plan on attending this event, and it was getting late.But I didn’t plan on having to walk.”
“Where were you going to walk?”
“My truck is parked at my parents’.It’s not that far.I thought I could easily make it without freezing to death.”
“Aside from the fact that it’s winter, we just had a blizzard, you aren’t wearing pants, or snow boots, and the breeze along the coast is intense?”
“I forgot.”
Wes gritted his teeth.“I notice you just glossed over my other question.So I’m going to take your lack of a response to my multiple attempts to spend more time with you to mean you’re not interested.”
“Correct, I’m not interested in being the sheriff’s hookup,” she said, looking out at the road.“Could you just drop me off at my parents’ house please?It’s 607.”
“Buckle your seat belt.”Wes gripped the steering wheel, annoyed, but put the truck into gear and slowly moved down the street.
“Fine,” she huffed and made a big show of putting it on.Which only forced him to notice how high her skirt rode up her creamy, shapely thighs.And he couldn’t help but recall exactly how those legs felt wrapped around his hips as he drove into her, and she screamed his name.
“What do you mean you don’t want to be my hookup?Isn’t it a little late for that?”
“Yes, and I’m not saying I regret it, I’m just saying now that I’m going to be staying in town for a bit, I’d rather not be in the spotlight of the town gossip mill.My brother already thinks you defend me too much, and I can just imagine how all your little admirers will treat me if they know I’m just warming your bed at night.”
“Technically you haven’t been warming my bed, which I view as the real problem, not to mention you are apparently allergic to keeping warm.You still don’t have a proper coat or boots for winter.”
“It’s right here,” she said pointing to her parents’ massive mansion behind a gaudy gate.And he couldn’t help but wonder if that was the real reason she didn’t want to spend more time with him.She was a Shepherd and he was Hart.They came from different worlds and he didn’t get along with her family at all.
“I know where it is, and I think I can read between the lines.Don’t worry, I won’t reach out to you anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”she said as she opened her door.
“Just that I get it.I’m not the kind of man you’d want to bring around.I got it.”
She pressed a button on the intercom.“It’s Shelby—please open the gate.”Then turned back to narrow her eyes at him in the SUV.“Last I checked you didn’t ask to take me on a date, Wesley—you just said you wanted me to warm your bed.Maybe that works for your little badge bunnies, but I’m not interested in joining that club.Good night.”Then she walked away down the driveway, forcing him to admire how her hips swayed and legs flexed as she quickly made her way to her truck.
He punched the steering wheel and spotted headlights coming up behind him so he had to drive away.He’d totally messed this situation up.She thought he was the one ashamed of her, or that he only wanted to sleep with her.He did, but he also wanted everyone to know.He wanted to claim her as his.
*
The next dayWes was still at a loss for how he was supposed to handle his situation with Shelby.He wanted to spend time with her, and it sounded like she wanted the same thing, but there were several reasons they should try to keep their situation under wraps at least to start.So he did the one thing he could think of, after swinging by the local outdoor supply store, he drove out to Old Man Shepherd’s place.Shelby’s truck was the only car in the driveway, so he knew the coast was clear of any of her family.
