Page 31 of Homicide in Water Creek

“I don’t want to leave the premises tonight,” King said, catching on to her game. “Maverick is working the streets, but I have to follow up on the leads.”

“We’ll work from my trailer. If we open the side shade, we can see the bunkhouse and have access to the CCTV. Good enough?”

Jacks held Keene’s gaze before she moved on to her granddaddy’s, waiting for one of them to challenge her on the matter. Neither of them did.

“I’ll call you at six a.m. after I check the CCTV to make sure they’re all heading out to the chow hall. If there’s a problem before then, you’ll be the first to know,” she promised.

King pointed at her. “What she said. Stay in this house, or I swear to God, I will put you in the holding cell.”

Both men raised their hands in mock surrender.

King motioned toward the hallway. “Go to bed.”

“Not until we talk,” Keene said, stepping forward.

“Not tonight. I’ve been up for days and haven’t even had time to get my head in order. I need sleep before I can deal with your betrayal.”

“It wasn’t a betrayal,” Keene insisted, but King shook his head and turned her toward the kitchen.

“It feels like it from where we’re standing. Good night, gentlemen. Stay in the house.”

King opened the door, drew his service weapon, and checked both ways before motioning her down the stairs. Jacks locked the door behind her and followed him to her house. His long strides and the tension in his body told her he hadn’t forgiven Keene. The way his jaw ticked told her he might never forgive him.

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Chapter Fourteen

They didn’t open the curtains facing the bunkhouse, turn on the computer, or even turn on the lights. Jacks and King did nothing but stand in the living room, with her head resting on his chest. It was warm and hard, but it was as though he softened under her touch. “Why don’t you go home? You don’t have to stay here. Chinos isn’t going to try anything.”

“I know he’s not. I didn’t tell them I was staying because of Chinos. I’m staying for you. I’m staying for me. I need to recharge. I need to wrap my arms around you and feel you drift off to sleep on my chest. I need to inhale the scent of your lavender shampoo and caress your cheek. I need to be your king for the night, not Sheriff King or a grandson who has disappointed his grandfather.”

Jacks shook her head. “You haven’t. Don’t think that way. He isn’t disappointed in you.”

“Yes, he is.” King took her hands and kissed them, his lips warm, leaving a tingle of awareness down her spine. “He has been since I told him I didn’t want the ranch. He never understood why I wanted to be a cop. He never understood why the ranch wasn’t enough for me. He actually told me that if I never found someone to spend my life with, my work on the ranch would be enough. Maybe that was true for him, but it’s not for me. My work will never be enough. My work doesn’t keep me warm at night or fill my head with thoughts of growing old together and traveling the country to find little out-of-the-way bars to stop in at. Maybe the ranch was enough for him, or maybe he’s just convinced himself it was.”

Jacks rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him once before her right leg collapsed. She barely caught herself before she hit the ground.

Grabbing her by the waist, he swung her into his arms. “You need to get off that leg for the night.” King had already kicked off his boots, so he carried her into the bedroom and set her on the bed. “Do you want to shower?” Jacks swallowed hard, but he grasped her chin, bringing his nose to hers. “No. Stop that train of thought right now. Nothing is going to happen here tonight except sleep and maybe a few stolen kisses. There’s too much left unsaid between us. When those things are said, we can be together.”

“I don’t understand, King.”

He smiled ruefully and chucked her under the chin. “That’s okay. Neither do I. I just know…” His gaze drifted to the ceiling, and he let out a breath. “I know this. Whatever this is between us is what I need. That said, we carry a lot of baggage we have to sort out. Me most of all.”

Using all her courage, Jacks lifted her gaze to meet his. “Are you going to break my heart, Dean King?”

His forehead lowered to hers, and she held his gaze. His eyes were tired, confused, and burning with desire. “We’ve had enough broken hearts between us. It’s time to find a new way, don’t you think?”

She nodded as his lips came down on hers. His kiss was easy, yet it was filled with desire. The kiss told her he loved her, but he didn’t know how to say it. That was okay. She could wait until he found the courage to trust his heart. It already knew the truth.

King wound his fingers into Jacks’s hair as she lay against him, deep in sleep. Her long, lush eyelashes fanned her cheeks, and her breathing was soft and even. She was plastered along his length, her bad leg thrown across his thighs. Her bottom was perfectly rounded, fitting his hand as he cupped it.

God, he loved her so much.

His eyes closed, and he swallowed the words back. He wanted to whisper them into her ear, to wake her with the sweetness of knowing she didn’t have to be alone in this world any longer.

If only.