Page 6 of Hot to Trot

Everyone except obviously one smoking-hot redhead.

The image of Scarlet arching against the rear of the BMW like a naughty advertisement for porn popped into his mind. She'd had him salivating at the blatant taunt. He'd done his best to remain impassive, but inside his libido had ratcheted up several notches and revved to near out of control.

She was everything he wanted and nothing he needed.

Adam felt a stirring in his gut. Or maybe the stirring was lower? Definitely lower.

Scarlet Rose was exactly the type of woman he lusted after. Lush, brash, and absolutely naughty. He liked the girls who wore their clothes too tight, drank Bud from a bottle, and had tattoos ofLa Vida Locaon their backside. Years ago, he'd gone through a parade of women who threw things at him when they got angry, wore cheap red lace bras, and drove him totally over the edge. So addictive.

Why he preferred trouble to perfectly acceptable in a sweater set escaped him. He supposed it had something to do with his father and his sexcapades. That's exactly what his shrink would say. Perhaps Adam could explore that line of reasoning the next time he went to Houston and saw Dr. Fitzgerald. Maybe he could find out why coiffed blondes with monogrammed stationaryturned him off. Why cute soccer moms with juice packs and empty smiles left him cold. And why women who went to Bible study and drank hot tea with lemon made him want to run for the hills.

Because those kinds of women were what a police chief needed. An acceptable lady. Not a sex kitten.

He gave himself a mental shake and pulled his thoughts from women of his past, present, and future.

He was on the clock with a job to do. He tossed the soiled wipe into the trash receptacle he kept on the floor of the idling cruiser and climbed inside. One pass around the town, then he'd stop at the reception. Hopefully, the redhead hadn't caused any problems. By his watch, she would have been too late. But something told him she wouldn't let Rayne and Brent get in her way.

Desire unraveled in his belly. He tamped it down.

Scarlet Rose spelled trouble. With a capitalT.

And if there was one thing Adam didn't need in his life, it was that kind of Trouble.

But as he made a loop of the town square, he saw her zippy little convertible parked in a handicapped spot.

And that delighted him.

ADAM CLIMBEDTHE STEPS of the century-old house that served as Oak Stand's only bed-and-breakfast. It was a gingerbread of a house, freshly painted blue with bright white trim. Lush ferns greeted visitors as they made their way onto the wide porch featuring rocking chairs and a swing. He could hear the hum of the crowd, most of which likely filled the interior and the pristine backyards of both the inn and the Hamiltons who lived next door. No one was on the front porch.

Except Scarlet.

She sat on the porch swing, looking as if someone had kicked her. Hard.

"Hey," he said, a little too loudly.

She started. "Oh, it's you."

"Yeah," he said, for want of anything clever to say. As he stood there contemplating a feast for the eyes, his libido tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, “Get you some of that, boy.”

Libido was hard to ignore.

She sighed and leaned back, causing the swing to tilt and her breasts to thrust forward. A gold shoe charm hung from a chain around her neck, nestling right in the middle of her breasts. He wanted to be that little shoe. His mouth went dry at the thought. His libido resumed the incessant tapping.

God, why did he want her?

Trouble, remember?

"Wow. Not only are you competent in the art of detection, but you excel in the art of conversation, too. Bet the ladies in town are lining up." Sarcasm didn't drip from her mouth. It gushed enough for him to shove his libido under a rock.

"No luck in stopping the wedding?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You gave me that DUI test on purpose. And the parking ticket? Really?”

He shook his head. "No. I detained you because a bottle of liquor fell from your glove compartment. I'm entrusted with a job to protect this community."

She snorted. "I'm a real danger. Hide your children."

"Just doing my job."

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