Page 29 of The House on Blueberry Lane

He turned to watch her shine the flashlight on the ground near her car, then opening the door to look around inside. She might not need help looking for her earring, but he wasn’t going to leave her alone outside and unprotected.

He walked over and saw she was leaning over the car seat, checking the cushions and the areas between the consoles. He wished her ass weren’t all up in the air like that. Remembering how many times he’d ridden it was too much temptation. “I know you said you didn’t need help, but four eyes are better than two.”

She peered over her shoulder at him and nodded. “You’re probably right.”

He leaned inside the car, and she suddenly moved, bringing their bodies into contact. When he drew in a sharp breath, she looked up at him. “Jaye, are you alright?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that no, he wasn’t, and hearing her say his name wasn’t making him any better. He always thought her pronunciation had a sultry kick to it.

“I need to look under the seats where it’s dark. Could you shine the flashlight there for me, Jaye?” She pushed the driver’s seat back and got on her knees to peer underneath.

He was about to say it probably would be easier if she held the flashlight herself, but he had offered his help so he needed to make himself useful any way he could. “Sure thing.”

He leaned down close to where she was, maneuvering his body almost alongside hers to hold the flashlight at the angle she needed. It was torturous watching her stretch her body. And why were her nipples hard and pressing against her shirt? Then there was her perfect rounded ass being hugged by a pair of skin-tight jeans. Lordy.

“Jaye?”

He blinked. “Yes.”

“Where are you shining the light? It’s not in the area I’m looking.”

No, it wasn’t since he’d been shining it on her backside. A direct hit if ever there was one. “Sorry about that.” He adjusted the flashlight in the direction she needed him to.

A few minutes later, she decided to search the back seats. He didn’t know how her earring could have gotten back there but decided to keep his mouth shut since he was enjoying being so close to her.

“How was your date?” she asked casually, without looking at him. He was surprised she hadn’t noticed he’d slipped back to shining the flashlight on her ass again.

“My date?”

“Yes. I noticed you weren’t here when I arrived and figured you’d gone out on a date.”

Boy had she figured wrong. Was she asking for conversational purposes or was she fishing for information? Either way, he had no problem answering her. “No date. This is Super Bowl weekend. Vaughn gave a party, and I was invited.”

“That was nice of him.”

“Yes, it was. I got to hang out with some of the guys.”

“Oh, like who?”

If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was stalling about finding her earring. Hadn’t she searched that area already? Not that he had any complaints. In fact, it reminded him of the time they’d made out in the back seat of his car. It hadn’t mattered that the car was parked in the garage at the time. She said she’d never made out in a back seat, so he’d shown her how it was done.

“Jaye?”

Hearing her say his name reminded him that he hadn’t answered her question. “The sheriff, for one.”

“Ah, Sawyer Grisham is nice. Were Ray Sullivan and Kaegan Chambray there, too?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not surprised. Those three are close friends.”

“I know.”

When the car got quiet, she asked, “Who else?”

“Who else, what?” Jaye had lost focus when he noticed she was rubbing her hands all over the seat cushions the way she used to rub her hands all over him. He was convinced it was with the same measured strokes. Was she deliberately trying to arouse him?

“Jaye?”

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