Page 41 of Cowboy and the Convict

Riley’s voice cut through the night, sending Janie scrambling off his lap so fast she tipped straight toward the dirt. He managed to grab her, depositing the ass that was just warming his lap into the seat next to him, right as his daughters and their friends filed down the deck carrying a bag of marshmallows and the roasting sticks he’d laid out on the counter, but assumed would remain untouched.

“Is the fire still hot enough to make s’mores on?”

If he could have lied, he would have, but the flickering flames and hot coals filling the pit would have given him away. “It’s probably perfect for roasting marshmallows.” There was no keeping the disappointment out of his answer.

And that disappointment only grew when Janie jumped up, a smile frozen on her face. “I should probably get going.” She gave his daughters and their friends a wave as she booked it to the deck. “See you girls next week. Have fun. Give your dad hell.”

“Wait.” Riley chased after her as he attempted the same. “Could you show me again how to do that braid before you go? I promised Olivia I’d do her hair before school Tuesday.”

Olivia’s eyes widened for a split second, but then she was nodding along. “She did. She promised.”

“It’s late and Janie’s been here all day.” Devon kept moving, following the path Janie cut up the steps and across the deck. “She’ll have to show you again the next time she’s here.” He didn’t narrow that date down to the following Sunday. He had every intention of figuring out how to get Janie back before then.

As long as he could catch her.

The woman in front of him barely slowed down as she rushed into the house, collected her caddy of cleaning supplies and yanked her coat from the closet, then she was out the front door.

But by then he’d closed the gap between them, staying right at her side as she all but ran down the steps and along the sidewalk. “You’re running again, J.”

“I’m not running. I just don’t like the idea of your daughters catching you,” she paused, head snapping back toward the house as she lowered her voice to a harsh whisper, “with your hand down my pants.”

"That wasn't going to happen." His confidence was way higher than it should have been considering how out of practice he was, but he wasn't lying earlier when he said he wanted to take care of her. He meant it. In every imaginable way. Except the more he learned about Janie’s life, the more he realized how disinclined she was to believe it.

And the more determined he was to show her how very serious he was.

Janie finally stopped at the driver’s side of her car, eyes flashing to his face. “What? Were you just fucking with me?”

Christ this woman was prickly. But he’d take it over the alternative any day.

“I’m not talking about the me having my hand in your pants part.” He moved closer, crowding her. “I’m talking about the getting caught part.” He continued closing in. “I’ve been a cop for a long time, J. I think I can get away with a little necking in my own backyard.”

Her lips rolled inward, the expression on her face turning serious. “Did you really just say necking?” She set her caddy on the roof of her car. “Because I can handle you being a dad, but if you’re going to start acting like a grandpa—”

Her words cut off as his body met hers, pressing her back against the side of her car as his lips coasted up the side of her neck. “If I start acting like a grandpa, you’ll like it because you like me.” He caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth, giving it a little nip, eliciting the same gasp the move earned him earlier. He was pushing his luck in lots of ways, but couldn’t stop himself from trying to pin her down on one important fact. “Isn’t that right?”

Janie’s hands came to his shirt, fisting in the front as her coat fell to the ground at their feet. “I shouldn’t like you.”

“Probably not, but you do anyway.” He palmed her hip as he took a long breath against her skin. “Why don’t you let me give you a reason to like me even more.” His hand slid under the hem of her T-shirt to toy with the waistband of her leggings, making sure she’d know exactly what he was getting at.

Her eyes darted around. “But—”

“No one can see anything from here. Even if it wasn’t dark, they can’t see through your car, J.” If he was going to pursue this—and he was—privacy would always be an issue. One they’d have to learn to work around. “And, as long as you can be quiet, no one will suspect a thing.” He paused, hand going still. “But if you don’t want me to touch you—”

“I want you to touch me.” The words rushed out of her mouth as Janie’s eyes met his, her expression filled with conflicting emotions. “I’m just scared of what will happen if I do.”

Hearing she wanted his touch boosted his ego, but her admission of fear knocked everything else down a peg. “All that happens is you get to drive home with a smile on your face.” He rested his forehead against hers. “That’s it.”

Her eyes moved over his face, lower lip pinched between her teeth. "What about you?"

She probably had no idea what her question did to him. The satisfaction it brought. "Don't worry about me.”

"But—"

He shook his head at her again. "I've been alone a long time, J. I know how to take care of myself."

She sucked in a breath, lips parting as her eyes glazed. "You do?"

He nodded. "I do and I will.” The thought that she might be picturing it now had his dick flexing against the confines of his jeans. “Does that mean I can touch you?"

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