Page 5 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“Hey, you!” she responded, her voice brightening at the sound of his voice. “I’m not sure about dinner.”

“Too many last-minute details? I could bring something over to the office.”

“No,” she seductively, “everything here is done. I’ll need to check in with Willa tomorrow morning, but my work is pretty much finished for the day.”

“Then why aren’t you sure about dinner?”

“Well, there’s this really sexy lawman I’ve been seeing. I think I’m doing all the right things, but so far, I haven’t gotten anything more than a friendly hug… and I do mean friendly. Not even held close enough to figure out if he’s interested in more.” Mandy was surprised at how easy it was to be bold with John. It wasn’t that she lacked self-confidence, she just didn’t have Willa’s in-your-face way of dealing with men.

John laughed. “I can assure you, Ms. Adams, I am interested in far more than just a friendly hug. I was trying to be a gentleman, so you didn’t know from a hug, just how interested I am.”

“If that’s the case, I’d love to have dinner with you.”

“How about I pick you up at your place?”

“Since I have the rest of the day off, why don’t I cook dinner? It’s my turn to treat you. Is Italian okay?”

“Italian is great, and I’d like that. Say about six?”

“Six works.”

Mandy hung up and considered her options, weighing showing off her cooking skills versus not wanting to prepare anything too heavy. If she had her way, the marshal would be dessert. She shook her head. John Hampton was sex on a stick. Every time he gave her a friendly hug, her arousal lit up like the Fourth of July. He was also a bit on the old-fashioned side. If he didn’t take the initiative tonight to move things along… she would.

Mandy settled on spaghetti with asparagus, smoked mozzarella, and prosciutto. It was something she could do theprep work, then once John was there and wanted dinner, she could simply cook the fresh pasta and have dinner ready in no time at all.

Once she was home, Mandy put together dinner before running upstairs to her bedroom to get ready. Deciding what to make for dinner had been easy—deciding what to wear was another matter entirely. Wanting to strike a balance between inviting and pushy, she finally settled on a pair of jeans that showed off her curves and a simple peasant-style tunic with an under-bust corset, so she could wear the blouse off her shoulders and not have to worry about a bra. She opted for bare feet and was just adding her earrings when the doorbell to her townhome rang.

She trotted down the stairs and opened the door, smiling brightly.

“Right on time!”

John smiled at her. She loved the way the angles of his face changed when he smiled.

“Yes, ma’am. I try to be. Sometimes, the job gets in the way, but I pride myself on not being late.”

“I often have a far looser relationship with time than I should. If it’s job-related, you can literally set your clock by me. If not, well, that’s a whole other story.”

“You’re going to need to work on that,” he chided gently. “If you’re late, I’m going to worry something happened. If I don’t get a phone call, explaining why you’re late, we’re going to have to have a discussion about why.”

There was something about the authoritative tone of his voice that made Mandy shiver deliciously inside. Everything about John spoke to her on her deepest level. There wasn’t a thing about him that wasn’t commanding, and even though she wasn’t submissive, something about his dominant ways made her feel all gooey inside. In the short time she’d known him,he’d insisted on opening doors, walking on the street side of the sidewalk, and paying for everything.

As usual, her casual, sexy attire took his breath away. He had been serious when he told Mac he thought she was the one. In the brief time he’d known her, she’d shared both silly and meaningful things about herself, reaching a part of him no other woman had. He tried to let her know his feelings were deepening, but she had a way of redirecting the conversation when it came to emotions.

“Oooh, Marshal Hampton, you aren’t going to arrest me and put me in handcuffs, are you?” she teased.

“I doubt I’ll need restraints to deal with a desperado like you.” He chuckled. “I have other methods far better suited to teaching a naughty girl to behave.”

“Me? Naughty? Never… unless it was with Willa, and there was a good time to be had,” she said, her eyes dancing with merriment.

“I think there’s a side of you that likes being a wild child and misbehaving, just to see how people will react,” he said soberly, shaking his head.

“Maybe. How will you react?”

He leaned down and kissed her mouth with restrained passion.

“It will depend entirely on what you did, and if I’ve warned you about it before.”

Mandy was intrigued by his change in demeanor and the kiss itself. It hadn’t been overly passionate or tentative, more sensual and exploring. It was disquieting, and Mandy hated to feel unsettled. Emboldened, Mandy reached up to draw his head down.

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